The Romantic Turnabout
by Sailor Moonie Fan
Summary: Athena, Trucy and Kay have decided it's high time that the glimmerous fop and scientific detective get together. Little do they know that this will prove to be quite a challenge. Will they succeed in sparking romance between the two enemies or fail miserably? And what's going to happen when they resume their search for the Chief Prosecutor's special someone? (Multi-character fic).
1. Story Information

******This story is technically a "sequel" to _Operation: Turnabout_; however, I've been writing it in a way that it could be a stand alone story. **

****** The rest of this chapter is more details about the story. If you just want to get on with the story, please go to the chapter listed as chapter # 3, titled "Start of the Turnabout."**

_**Focus will be on the characters mentioned in the summary, and there'll be the following characters in it (just to name a few, in no particular order. These characters will definitely make an appearance): **_

_Phoenix Wright, Iris Fey, Apollo Justice, Juniper Woods, Maya Fey, Pearl Fey, Simon Blackquill, Franziska von Karma, Detective Gumshoe and Justine Courtney. _

_My OC from the last two Turnabout stories, Serena Sterling, is a part of the story as well. For those of you who are unfamiliar with her, she's an ER doctor who's befriended the Wright Anything Agency gang a few months after the Phantom was captured. She was raised by a major criminal family, the Bandits and was a suspect in two murder cases. Later on, she accidentally stumbled upon a crime ring who had an operative working in her ER. She's acquainted with the other characters mentioned, except Judge Courtney, and currently works also as a medical consultant at the Prosecutor's Office. She's a quiet person who generally maintains a calm and kind demeanor, but when provoked can prove to be quite a stubborn woman. (That's probably what you need to know for now.)_

**_Feenris is an established ship. _****_Juniepollo and Cykesquill were relationships established in the first story of the series, Turnabout Mystery._**

_***********Note: If you have any questions or confusions you need cleared up, I welcome you with open arms to leave me a review or private message me, because I'd be more than happy to explain things for you!**_


	2. Sneak Peek

**The first chapter is already posted, so you don't need to read this! Just go to chapter # 3 listed on the site, titled "Start of the Turnabout." **

* * *

**For those of you who may have missed the sneak peek from _Operation: Turnabout_, here it is!**

_****__Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!_

_S__even messages?! Since when do this many people call me?! *Sigh* I suppose I shouldn't put this off for later; otherwise, the machine might get full._

An automated, female voice stated: "Message 1."

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir! I just wanted to thank you again for sending that nice gift for little Gary's birthday. I wish you could've come to the party, but he really loves it. Maggey and I...we're real grateful! Maybe I'll stop by the office to pay you a visit soon. Have a nice day, pal!"

_This has to be the fifth time he's said thank you to me. I got the message the first time. Oh well. It can't be helped._

"Message deleted. Message 2."

"Hey Edgeworth. It's Phoenix Wright, in case you didn't know. Just wanted to call and let you know that Trucy's got another magic show coming up in a couple of weeks, you know, if you'd like to come see it. She'd really like that. So…yeah. Hope everything's been well with yo-" He heard yelling in the background.

"Athena! Give that back!"

"Ooo! What's this? A love letter? Let's read it aloud, hm? Dear Juniper, I _looove _you!"

"That's not what it says, and it's not even a love letter! Can you not read?!"

"Knock it off, you two! I'm on the phone!...With an answering machine. Anyway, yeah. Let me know if you can make it. Talk to you later!"

_It seems everything's running normally at the Wright Anything Agency…well, at least according to their definition of normal. _

"Message deleted. Message 3."

"Who was that woman talking right now?! Is she your girlfriend?! I can't believe you'd betray me like this, Ed-!"

"Messaged deleted."

_No! It can't be! I must be imagining things. _

"Message 4."

"This is one of those answering machines, isn't it? Why, back in my old days, we didn't even have phones! Life was much less complicated, and people actually talked to each other in person rather than using these crazy contraptions. The things they come up with these days, I can't-"

"Message deleted."

_No, no, no! How did she get this number?! _

"Message 5."

"You're ignoring me, aren't you?! Oh, my poor, young heart can't bear to handle it! You've grown out of love with me, but no matter, Edgey-poo! I'll be coming to your office soon, and after my visit, you'll be completely convinced to stay with me forever and ev-"

_Nghooh! She's going to come to my office?! I must tell security about this posthaste! I better not erase this message, in case I need proof for the future._

"Message 6."

Edgeworth reluctantly listened to the message, only to have his eyes narrow, almost to the point that he was glaring at the phone.


	3. Start of the Turnabout

**Ah! Finally! I got this chapter done! Hope you enjoy it! (The first part is the sneak peek again. If you want to skip that, just go to the next line, unless you didn't read the previous chapter titled "Sneak Peek.")**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**_

**Chapter 1 - Start of the Turnabout**

_Seven messages?! Since when do this many people call me?! *Sigh* I suppose I shouldn't put this off for later; otherwise, the machine might get full._

An automated, female voice stated: "Message 1."

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir! I just wanted to thank you again for sending that nice gift for little Gary's birthday. I wish you could've come to the party, but he really loves it. Maggey and I...we're real grateful! Maybe I'll stop by the office to pay you a visit soon. Have a nice day, pal!"

_This has to be the fifth time he's said thank you to me. I got the message the first time. Oh well. It can't be helped._

"Message deleted. Message 2."

"Hey Edgeworth. It's Phoenix Wright, in case you didn't know. Just wanted to call and let you know that Trucy's got another magic show coming up in a couple of weeks, you know, if you'd like to come see it. She'd really like that. So…yeah. Hope everything's been well with yo-" He heard yelling in the background.

"Athena! Give that back!"

"Ooo! What's this? A love letter? Let's read it aloud, hm? Dear Juniper, I _looove _you!"

"That's not what it says, and it's not even a love letter! Can you not read?!"

"Knock it off, you two! I'm on the phone!...With an answering machine. Anyway, yeah. Let me know if you can make it. Talk to you later!"

_It seems everything's running normally at the Wright Anything Agency…well, at least according to their definition of normal. _

"Message deleted. Message 3."

"Who was that woman talking right now?! Is she your girlfriend?! I can't believe you'd betray me like this, Ed-!"

"Messaged deleted."

_No! It can't be! I must be imagining things. _

"Message 4."

"This is one of those answering machines, isn't it? Why, back in my old days, we didn't even have phones! Life was much less complicated, and people actually talked to each other in person rather than using these crazy contraptions. The things they come up with these days, I can't-"

"Message deleted."

_No, no, no! How did she get this number?! _

"Message 5."

"You're ignoring me, aren't you?! Oh, my poor, young heart can't bear to handle it! You've grown out of love with me, but no matter, Edgey-poo! I'll be coming to your office soon, and after my visit, you'll be completely convinced to stay with me forever and ev-"

_Nghooh! She's going to come to my office?! I must tell security about this posthaste! I better not erase this message, in case I need proof for the future._

"Message 6."

Edgeworth reluctantly listened to the message, only to have his eyes narrow, almost to the point that he was glaring at the phone.

* * *

_Hm…_

"Message 7."

…_Hmph._

"You have no more messages."

Miles Edgeworth took one last look at the answering machine before he turned back to his paperwork. _I honestly don't have time for this nonsense. _

The door to his office opened without warning. "Hello Mr. Edgeworth!" A cheery voice called out, and into the room marched a young lady. She was donned in a blue skirt, a long sleeved pink shirt, and around her neck was a navy blue scarf on which was pinned a golden badge in the shape of a bird's wing.

"Kay," he greeted her, not looking up from his papers.

"Gee. I feel really welcome." The recently-recruited prosecutor plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. "Sooo…anything interesting going on with you, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Me? Have anything interesting? Hmph."

"So…nothing? Nothing's going on?"

_She looks disappointed. Perhaps I should…entertain her? _

Setting down his papers, he locked his hands together. "Well Kay, I suppose you could say that something…interesting happened. Very recently, actually."

"Oh? What's that?" She leaned closer, immediately interested.

"A certain…friend of mine called me, claiming that she missed me and was going to…'make me hers.'"

"You mean Ms. Oldbag, don't you?" Kay giggled. "That woman doesn't know when to stop."

"Actually, I've found myself rather fond of her."

Kay continued smiling, until she ran through her head what he just told her. Her smile faded a little. "Eh?"

"It's true. Her persistence…I find it quite attractive."

Kay was rendered speechless. _Has Mr. Edgeworth finally lost his mind?! _"Mr. Edgeworth, I think you've been stuffed up in this office for way too much time. You aren't making any sense."

"Oh, and why is that? Can I not be attracted to a woman?"

"No, it's not that…but…why the sudden change in heart?"

"She left many messages for me today, and it got me thinking. Why not give the poor woman a chance? Who knows? She could turn out to be a lovely lady once I get to know her. And perish the thought, I might end up marrying her, once she divorces her husband, of course."

Kay regarded him carefully. He was completely serious. _Okay. Either Mr. Edgeworth knows …or he has seriously lost his marbles. I really hope that first one is the case…For Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Oldbag to date…Oh no! I've been emotionally scarred with that mental image!_

He saw her green eyes widen in apparent horror. _I see I've provoked a reaction. Now time to corner her. _"Kay," he began, crossing his arms. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Er…well…you see…" She let out a nervous laugh.

"Then allow me. You left several prank calls on my phone as Ms. Oldbag, did you not?"

"…How…?"

"Here's some evidence." He pressed the button for the answering machine six times.

"Message 6."

"Heh, heh, heh! Oh no! Did it already start?!...Good! Ahem. Edgey-pooooo! I miss you! Where have you been these days?! You better not be with those young whippersnappers! I'll tell you. The whole lot of them looked mighty suspicious if you asked me!"

"…"

"Wait. There's one more."

"Message 7."

"It won't be long before I finally see you again. And after all these years, I'll make you mine, even if it's the last thing I do! Until then, I bid you adieu, my dear Edgey-poo. *smooch* He, he, he."

Kay shifted uncomfortably in her seat. _Darn it! I thought the beep didn't go off, and I thought I hung up after that kiss! _

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, at the beginning of the sixth message, you would agree with me when I say that Ms. Oldbag does not have such a…youthful voice." _Far from it. Her voice…like nails on a chalkboard to my ears…_ "However, you must admit, that voice sounded an awful lot like yours, Kay."

She saw the stern, expectant look on his face. _Busted! _Her shoulders drooped, and she pouted. "I just wanted to have some fun, Mr. Edgeworth! It was all in good nature."

_Good nature? You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought it really was that woman calling me! _"Hmph. Well, it was not taken in good nature. I would've thought you'd have grown out of this childishness, Kay."

She crossed her arms in the same manner as him. "Well, I would've thought that you'd have grown out of this grumpishness, Mr. Edgeworth, so I guess that leaves us both disappointed."

He pointed a finger at her. "Grumpishness is not a word."

"It is now!"

"Kay, just…" He sighed defeatedly. "Please don't repeat this kind of behavior. You are a prosecutor, aren't you? Please, try to conduct yourself like one."

"Okay, Mr. Edgeworth. I'm sorry."

"Hmph."

_In other words, apology accepted, although it'd be nice to hear him actually say that. _

"Anything else Kay?"

"Oh yeah! Did I tell you?! I'm moving into my own apartment!"

"You are?" _Wait a second. _"Then where have you been living these past few months?"

"Oh, with a friend. You remember Hazel, don't you?"

He grimaced. "Ah…yes, I…do recall the name." _How could I possibly forget? She was the first woman I ever went on a date with. And what a date it was. _He almost shuddered at the memory of the disastrous date. "Is your new apartment near the area?"

"Mmhm. Just a little bit of a walk from here, but it's nothing that the second Great Thief Yatagarasu can't handle!" She pumped a fist in the air, her trademark smile in its place.

"Of course not. Now, will that be all, Kay? I really must get to work. I don't have time for idle chatter."

Kay wanted to talk more, but the Chief Prosecutor had already dived into his paperwork. "No. That's all, Mr. Edgeworth. See ya!"

He heard the door shut behind her. _Still the same cheeky girl she's always been. But at least she is serious when she's in the courtroom…for the most part, anyways. _

As if being Chief Prosecutor of the district wasn't stressful enough, what with all of the trials he had to oversee and subordinates he had to monitor, Miles Edgeworth had another problem he was dealing with. A problem that was completely and totally unrelated to his work.

_I better go to Prosecutor Gavin's office and inform with him about this case. It might do me some good to take a walk anyway. _

Taking two flights of stairs down, Edgeworth found himself standing in front of a wooden door, on which was written, "Klavier Gavin." After three firm raps, he entered the office.

_Ngh…his office. How does he possibly function in this…mess?!_

Papers were strewn on the floor. Five electric guitars were in a glass case on one of the walls. _Is that…a massage chair?! Goodness, why have I never noticed it before? _Three multi-sized flat screen TVs were mounted on the wall. Two large desk-sized speakers occupied a good quarter of the room. _Where exactly is his desk?!_ A couple of piles of books were amongst the clutter.

He was ready to leave the cluttered office when someone came in behind him. "Ah! Herr Edgeworth. Welcome to my office."

The former rock star strutted past the Chief Prosecutor and leaned against one of the speakers. "What brings you here today, Herr Edgeworth?"

"I had a case file to give you."

Klavier accepted the file and skimmed through it. "Hm...a murder at a concert? I haven't heard of such a case in a while now."

"Yes, well, you won't mind handling it, will you Prosecutor Gavin?"

He shut the file, grinning. "I'm more than happy to accept such a case. It will be nice to be on stage once more."

_I hope he realizes that he'll be on stage as a prosecutor and not a performer._ "If you have any questions or concerns, do let me know. I'll be off now."

"Herr Edgeworth. You can't leave so soon when you just arrived. Please, how about you have a seat in my massage chair? It does wonders for tense muscles."

_Aren't you rather young to have tense muscles? Then again, he was a stage performer, so I suppose he might have developed back problems_. "No. That won't be necessary, although I appreciate your...concern. I really must get going now."

"Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Edgeworth."

With a nod, Edgeworth left. _Back to the office for more paperwork. *sigh* Then…home._

* * *

Klavier sat on the massage chair, eyes shut tight as the chair worked eased the tenseness of his muscles. The gentle hum of the device didn't retract him from his thoughts, which were on his superior. Miles Edgeworth, the genius prosecutor, now Chief Prosecutor. A man respected and resented by many.

When Klavier first came to the prosecutor's office, he was referred to as a "true thoroughbred" of the office, having started his law career at 17. Impressive, unless one was to consider the other prodigy who began her career at 13.

After the breakup of his band, the Gavinners, Klavier was fully-focused on his law career. However, in moments such as these, he thought about the direction his life had taken, and more importantly, where he would end up. The answer to that question always led to him imagining himself like his boss.

_I have a much better sense of style than Chief Prosecutor. He would never be able to pull off the modern-look like I can. And I'm not as serious as he always is. _Besides that, however, there were many similarities between the two men, the main one being their dedication to the law. Then there was their perfectionistic tendencies. True, Edgeworth wasn't the extreme perfectionist that his mentor was, but Klavier knew the man desired to make things as perfect as he could, and he felt the same. And when things don't go right for Klavier, gone was his chill demeanor and in comes his grouchiness.

He hated to think this, but…he was just like the Chief Prosecutor. And there was one more similarity that they shared, one that Klavier wished they didn't.

Neither one had a girlfriend. Sure, he did have girls watching him as he walked down the street, even now, but none of them seemed to be the 'right' girl.

_But unlike Herr Ruffles, I do have someone in mind who might be the 'right' girl. _

After five minutes of reflection, he reached over to take a closer look at the first thing he searched for was the police report. He read the name of the person who wrote it aloud. "Ema Skye."

The detective seemed to have begun hating him before they had even met. He'd been a member of the Gavinners before he became a prosecutor, and this was before the trial in which Phoenix Wright had been disbarred. Ladies only knew him (and admired him) for his rock star status, and back then, he appreciated that.

But Ema was different. She held a grudge against him, since she thought he was responsible for Phoenix's disbarment. Of course, she obviously didn't know that it was actually his older brother, Kristoph, who was truly responsible. Klavier believed he'd perhaps have a chance at making amends with the detective once the truth finally came out into the open.

Rather than be a little nicer to him, Ema's attitude towards him almost worsened. And instead of being discouraged, he became more determined. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone and called speed dial number 3. "Hello Fraulein Detective. It seems we've got another case on our hands, ja?" He just smiled as a female voice screeched over the phone at him, complaining about how he had interrupted her scientific investigation. She hung up on him after her rant.

_Ah, Fraulein Skye…You don't seem to understand that your tenacious dislike of me is what I find most attractive about you. _

**Oh man. I spent a good while on this chapter, but somehow, I feel that doesn't really show in the writing. But at least I do know where all of this is going, and I have a general plan made. I promise the story will get better! Like I said before, updates might not be as often, but I'll try my best! Please let me know what you think via reviews or private message. Thanks! **


	4. Turnabout Neighbors

**As of right now, updates will probably be a little more frequent, but later on in the story, I'm planning to update every week, I think, or two weeks. I haven't decided yet. Just something I thought I should mention that! **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**_

**Chapter 2 - Turnabout Neighbors**

"…Phone call on line two!" blared the intercom through the halls of the ER.

Sneakers padded on the tiled floor. The sound of a white coat flowing through the wind of a brisk walk. A black mop of hair bent down in front of a clipboard, hiding the face of its owner. A pen scribbled away at the paper.

"Hey Dr. Sterling!" The owner of the black hair came to a halt and turned to the speaker. "What's up with the..."

Serena Sterling held up a hand before rotating her wrist to look at her watch. Satisfied at the time it displayed, she pulled the thermometer from her mouth. "99. Darn," she muttered, stowing away the temperature device in her coat pocket. "Sorry Tina. I just needed a quick temp check." She turned away and continued scribbling away at the chart.

Tina caught up with fast-paced doctor. "You sick?"

"Mm…sort of. A bit of a fever."

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Sure," Tina replied, unconvinced.

Serena shot her sideways glance. "You…don't sound very convinced."

The nurse sighed. "Come on, Dr. Sterling. You've been putting in way too many hours this past week. You need to relax a little."

"Well, excuse me if I like to work," Serena joked, a smile on her face. "Besides, I'll be heading home in an hour or so. Hey. Do you know what time the bus gets here?"

"The bus? Oh yeah, like…three?"

"Good. I won't have to wait too long then. I'm thinking of just getting on from here. I doubt I'll be able to walk all the way to the other bus stop today."

Tina snorted. "I still can't believe you got your license suspended! How could you be so reckless?!" She teased.

"It was an honest...er…mistake, I guess is the best way I can put it." Ever since the little incident where she had to drive a van without her glasses a month and a half ago and got arrested, her coworkers had been picking on her incessantly, especially Tina.

"Still. You delinquent. Shame on you!"

Now Serena smirked and rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, I get it. I'm a lawbreaker. Now, I've got to go pick up that phone call and finish up this chart before I go."

* * *

Athena Cykes lounged on the red sofa at the Wright Anything Agency, bored out of her head. Trucy had gone to Nine Tails Vale with Jinxie, while Apollo was at the Space Center visiting Mr. Starbuck.

_Everyone just had to have plans today._ She sat up, pondering what she should do. _Maybe I should check and see how Mr. Wright and Iris's date is going?...No. I can't interrupt their date like that. I could go visit Simon._ She shook her head. The prosecutor had specifically requested that she _not_ visit, due to him being busy with a case. _I'm so jealous. He gets a case, and I don't! _

Things had been going relatively slow for the Wright Anything Agency in terms of legal cases, but everyone else seemed to have one way or another to occupy their time.

A gentle knock came at the door. "It's open," the orange-haired attorney called out as she stood up. Her immediately brightened up at the sight of her childhood friend. "Junie! Thank goodness you're here! I almost died of boredom, Junie! Died!"

Juniper Woods giggled. "Thena. I'm sure you weren't going to die."

Taking her friend's hands, Athena led the recent-graduate to the sofa and sat down. "So Junie. What's been going on with you?! It feels like forever since I've seen you!"

"Well, I went to go visit my parents again, and now I've been have meetings with Judge Courtney."

"Judge…Courtney? Who's that?" Athena couldn't recall the name. As far as she knew, there were two judges, both of which were males.

"Judge Justine Courtney. She's a wonderful person. Very polite and dedicated to her job. She's been advising me about being a judge." Juniper smiled. "She reminds me of Professor Courte."

"Oh…wow. She must be pretty cool! I'm surprised I haven't heard much about her." She couldn't remember if Phoenix had ever mentioned the woman.

"Apparently, she knows Mr. Edgeworth."

"She does?" _Well, he is Chief Prosecutor. I guess that shouldn't be so surprising. _

"Mmhm. She met him eight years ago, as a member of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee. According to her, he helped prove her innocence in a murder case, among other things."

_Did he now?...Hm…_ "What does she think of Mr. Edgeworth, Junie?"

"Oh…uh, I think she respects him a lot. She admires that he's been taking initiative to take down the Dark Age of the Law."

_Is that so? _

"Uh…Thena? Are you alright?"

Athena shook herself out of her reverie. "Oh yeah. As Apollo would say…" She cleared her throat before yelling, "I'm fine!"

Juniper started laughing, and Athena joined her. _Thanks Junie. Not only did you make my day, but now I've got a wonderful idea brewing in my head!_

* * *

"Good afternoon, Serena dear. How was work today?" An elderly woman asked, leaning against the front desk of the apartment lobby.

Serena opened the mailbox and pulled out a couple of envelopes. "Oh, the same old. Lots of patients, and loads of teasing."

"Heh, heh. They still haven't dropped it, have they? The whole license thing?"

"Nope. Not even close. But only two more weeks before my suspension's over." Serena saw a couple of men holding three or four cardboard boxes head towards the elevator. "Is there someone moving in, Mrs. Richards?"

"Yes! Actually, I meant to tell you about that. A young woman recently decided to rent out an apartment here. She's going to be your neighbor. Nice girl."

"Really? I should go introduce myself then. Thanks for letting me know!"

She was going to take the elevator, but she didn't want to be crowded in there with the movers, so she walked up seven flights of stairs to her floor. Serena sighed as she approached her door. She then tilted her head, noticing that there were movers in the next apartment. _That was…her apartment. _Brushing off that dismal thought, she quickly replaced her frown with a friendly, welcoming smile as she walked over to the door and stood by it, knocking.

"Hold it!" A voice yelled from inside, causing Serena to take a couple of steps back.

_Uh oh! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea!_

She went to leave, when a familiar voice stopped her. "Hey! What's new, neighbor?!"

Serena recognized that perky voice. "Kay?"

Kay gaped before smiling brightly. "Serena! You're my new neighbor?! Awesome!" The girl came over and wrapped an arm around a speechless Serena. "This is going to be so cool!"

Serena chuckled a little, caught off-guard by the girl's sudden touch. "I didn't know you were the one moving into this apartment. Welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Heh, heh, heh! Thanks! I figured it was time I get a permanent, er, well, temporarily permanent place to stay until I get super-settled here and get my career as a prosecutor soaring like the Yatagarasu!"

"Well, please do know that you're always welcome at my apartment whenever you'd like to come over, especially if there's anything wrong."

"Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. Oh!" Kay's green eyes sparkled at a new possibility. "I know! We could have…a sleepover!"

Serena smiled weakly. "That sounds…nice." _Sleepover? I'm a little old for that, aren't I? _

"Oh yes! I could see it now!" She held a hand out in front of her, fantasizing. "We'd have so much fun!" She then frowned. "But right now, I have to help the movers get everything inside, followed by unpacking the boxes."

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah. I think I've got it under control for now, but I'll let you know if I do! Thanks again!"

"No problem. I'll be in my apartment then, if you need something."

* * *

A few hours later…

*Knock, knock, knock*

"Mmm…"

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

"Mmm…" Serena rolled off the sofa and fell onto the carpet floor, flat on her stomach. "…Ow."

Lifting her head up, she saw the clock displayed a straight line. The numbers were too blurry for her to read. _Six already? I must've fallen asleep. _She pushed herself off the floor. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Serena shuffled to the door. She ran a hand through her hair, straightening it out, put on her glasses and opened the door.

"Hi there!" A very-awake and beaming Kay greeted her.

"Oh…Kay, it's you. Did you need something?"

"No, no. Just thought I'd see what you were up to." The young prosecutor saw the bags under the doctor's eyes were more pronounced. "Were you sleeping? I'm sorry if I bothered you!"

"No. It's about time I woke up anyway." She opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Why don't yo-"

"Don't mind if I do, thanks!" Kay entered the apartment, leaving Serena at the door. Kay stopped in the archway between the living room and front hallway. "Wow. This place is so…simple."

Serena stood beside her. "Yeah, I know it's not too special."

"I like it though. It's very…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. _What's that word Mr. Edgeworth uses? _"Ah yes! Quaint. It's very quaint."

"Kay, you can be honest, you know. I won't be offended."

"What I was meaning to say was…I thought doctors lived in huge mansions where they had butlers and maids to do all of their work, and they have these lavish decorations and all that pizzazz." She looked around once more. "Your apartment is so humble. I like it. I really do."

"Glad to hear that. So…can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, juice?"

"Hm…I could go for a cup of coffee."

"Coffee it is, then. I'll be right back. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

Kay sat down on the navy blue sofa. She took the time to really examine the living room. It was sparsely decorated. There was a bookcase, a couple of paintings on the wall, and a medium-sized TV occupying the room. _On second thought, it does seem a little…too simple. She could really spice up the place! I should offer to help her with that! _She saw the black coffee table in front of her had a couple of items on it.

She picked up a book from it. "_Anatomy and Physiology. Quick Review._" A bookmark was sticking out of it in the middle. She flipped to the page and saw that the bookmark had a quote on it. "_A room without books is like a body without a soul._" She immediately went to stare at the bookcase in front of her. "Wow. I better make sure to get some books to put in my living room! I want it to have a soul!"

She returned her attention to the book. Clearing her throat, she began to read the open page, using her most professional voice she could. "Ery-thro-po-ie-sis…ery-thropoie-tin…leukopoiesis…" She quickly shut it and placed it back on the table. _Ah! Too many big words! How does she read this?! Wait…she's a doctor. _

The other object was a card-sized envelope, with a name written on the front in fancy script. _To Serena Sterling…_ Kay heard sounds coming from the kitchen. _I don't think she'll mind if I take a little peek at this!_

"Here's the coffee." Serena entered the room. Kay dropped the envelope and smiled all too sweetly as the doctor handed her a cup and sat in the sofa across from Kay.

"So Serena. What's your life like?"

"My…life?" She remembered Pearl Fey had asked her the same question a little while back. Sadly, she had the same response for Kay. "Er…I wake up, get ready for work, go to the ER, work, come back here, and sleep. Oh, and I eat in between, when I get the chance."

"…Oh. What do you do for fun? Any cool hobbies?!"

Serena knew she was going to disappoint Kay, who was obviously expecting to hear something great. "They aren't very cool. I garden, I read, and I listen to music."

"What kind of plants do you grow?"

"Flowers. We have a little garden area in the back, and each tenant has their own little area where they can garden, if they want to."

"Wow. Maybe I should try to do that." She sipped the coffee. "Mmm…this is good." Kay's eyes lingered on the two paintings on the wall."You know, you should put up some pictures of yourself, or your family!"

"Hm…I do have a picture of my brother I could put up."

"Brother? You have a brother? I thought you were an only child, like me!"

"No. I had an older brother. Thomas."

"What does he do?"

"He…er…he was in jail, but he wanted to be an airline pilot."

_Whoa! In jail?! There's got to be a story behind that! _"Is he still in jail?"

"No…he's…not here anymore." Serena's looked down at the ground, neither smiling nor frowning.

"Gosh, I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Don't worry. I'm over it. So how do you like the apartment building so far?"

Kay didn't notice the change in subject as she took another sip of the coffee. "It's totally awesome so far, although…I feel like I'm the youngest one here." Kay was sure all of the people she saw in the apartment building were at least fifteen years older than her, if not more.

Serena chuckled. "That's actually true. Before you moved in, _I _was the youngest tenant."

"Wow…so how long have you lived here for?"

"About…eleven years?"

"Eleven years? In the same apartment?! Did you have any roommates?"

"No, it's just me."

"Oh…but…" Kay frowned. "Don't you get lonely?"

Serena blinked a few times, almost taken aback by the question. She didn't expect to be conversing with Kay for so long, nor that the conversation would take this direction. "Lonely?"

"Yeah. I mean…you live here all by yourself."

"But I have my neighbors around, so I'm not really lonely," Serena reasoned.

"That's true, but I mean…you don't have anyone to come home to." She paused to think. "Mr. Edgeworth lives alone, technically, but he has his dog, Pess, so he at least has someone to go home to. But you…"

Serena could sense Kay's concern. "Kay…I've lived by myself for a long time now. I don't mind being alone. I don't spend much time here anyway. Most of the time, I'm at the ER, and when I am here, I usually occupy myself with reading, gardening, cleaning, or sleeping." She smiled. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Okay." _I'm still not convinced. She must be a little lonely. Unless… _"Say, Serena. Do you have a boyfriend?"

_Where did that come from?! _"A b-boyfriend?"

"Yeah!" _Oh! She must!_

"Er…no."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" She pressed on.

"No. I never have."

"Really? No one? Seriously?!"

Serena shook her head. "No one."

"Why?! You're pretty and smart!"

Serena laughed. _She's funny. _"I've just never really been interested in a relationship." She stared into her now empty cup. "I was always so focused on becoming a doctor. Given certain…circumstances, I couldn't let myself get distracted from my dream." She lifted her eyes up to Kay's. "I guess I've just been too busy for love."

"So why not look for someone now?"

Serena shrugged again. "Like I said, I've been living by myself for a while. I don't really see the need to be with anyone."

"But don't you hope to meet your special someone?!"

_She's…pretty persistent about this. _"Well, I don't think I've met anyone I'd consider a potential special someone. It doesn't really matter to me."

_Hm…Looks like I have things to plan… _Kay looked up at the clock. "Ah! Look at the time! I need to go to my apartment and call my mom to tell her I'm all moved in."

Serena stood up. "Here. Let me take your cup."

"Okay. Thanks for the coffee!"

"No problem. And thank you for visiting. It's…nice having people come over. I don't get a lot of visitors."

"You're welcome! See ya!" Kay left the apartment. _Hm…I'll have to visit her more often, won't I? _

**I know this chapter isn't very eventful. It's more of an introduction to the characters and whatnot. It'll get better though as it goes. I've got a decent idea as to where this story is going to go. Anyway, enough of my rambling! Please feel free to leave a review or private message me!**


	5. Turnabout Cousins

**Just a fun little chapter. I like writing fun chapters. They're so…fun! **

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!_**

**Chapter 3 - Turnabout Cousins**

"Pearly! I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they see us here!" Maya Fey was lounging on a red sofa as she spoke to her little cousin.

Pearl Fey was dusting the framed photo of famous magician, Zak Gramarye. She glanced over her shoulder at the Master of Kurain. "I can't wait either, Mystic Maya!" After two more strokes with the duster, she nodded her head, feeling quite satisfied with herself. "I especially can't wait to see Mr. Nick's reaction to seeing the office all neat and tidy!"

Maya shook her head. "You didn't have to clean everything up, Pearly. You know that in less than one minute once they get here, they'll make a huge mess."

"…Still. I want them to come back to a spotless office! And without all of the clutter, they'll be able to notice us!"

Maya frowned. "When you put it that way, I kinda wish this place was still a mess. Then we could've hidden ourselves and surprised them." She sat up, straightening out her purple robes. "Did you water Charley? He's looking a little…thin."

"Charley? I did water him."

Maya went to pick up the watering can. "Oh…I think he could use a little more water." She proceeded to water the plant, with Pearly watching.

"Um…Mystic Maya? Don't you think that might be a little too much water?"

"It's alright, Pearly! A little water won't kill good ol' Charley here!" Once the can was empty, she set it down and went back to the sofa. "Come on Pearly! You should sit down too! All you've done since we got here was clean, clean, clean!"

Pearls seated herself next to Maya and looked up at the clock. "I wonder where they are." She bit her thumb. "I hope they're alright."

"Don't worry! They're fine! They just better have some good food for me! I've been dying to have some meaty foods! My three stomachs have felt empty for too long!"

* * *

"Ah! That show was absolutely amazing!" Athena exclaimed as she adjusted her pirate's hat on her head.

"I'd love to be able to do a magic show there at the aquarium!" Trucy turned to Phoenix. "Do you think they'd let me do that, Daddy?!"

"I'm sure they would Trucy. Sasha and Mr. Rimes would probably really like that." He then looked over at Iris. "Did you enjoy it, Iris?" It was his girlfriend's first time going to an aquarium.

"I did. They have such wonderful marine animals there, but I think I liked the orcas the best. They're so gentle and agile."

"I know, right?! Orla and Ora are just too cute!" Athena snickered. "Hey Iris! Did you know Orla kissed Mr. Wright?!"

Iris had a playful smile on her face, shooting a sideways glance at her boyfriend. "Oh really, Feenie? You never told me that."

Phoenix chuckled a little, a hand behind his back. "It was a thank-you kiss, if I recall correctly."

"Ha! You should've seen him, Iris! He screamed aloud and fell back onto the ground! It was hilarious!" Athena laughed whole-heartedly.

Phoenix could feel his face turn red. "I was just shocked. I just thought I was giving her some fish. I didn't expect to get a kiss."

"Oh Feenie! I wish I could've been there to see it!" Iris looped her arm through Phoenix's.

Smiling, Phoenix glanced over to someone who was uncharacteristically quiet. "What about you, Apollo? Did you like the trip to the aquarium?"

"Me? Oh yeah. It was totally awesome."

"Your voice says otherwise, Apollo!" Athena pointed out.

"Oh really? Hm, I wonder why. Oh, that's right. It probably wouldn't have to do with the fact that I'm soaking wet and smell like chlorine!"

Trucy giggled. "That was so funny when Ora splashed you, Polly."

"Not as funny as his face afterwards!" Athena added before she and Trucy burst into a fit of laughter.

Apollo sighed, rolling his eyes. He hadn't been all that excited to go to the aquarium. Once being seated for the show though, his enthusiasm grew, only to be splashed away literally when Ora Shipley hit her tail against the water.

_I should've gotten there earlier. Then I could've just sat with them and avoided getting wet altogether. I guess it must be punishment for getting to the agency late so much…_

Phoenix suppressed his urge to poke fun at Apollo, feeling a little sorry for him. "That aside, did you like the visit, Apollo?"

"Yeah, I did. It was nice. I especially like that penguin…what was her name?...Oh, right! Rifle!"

Athena now frowned, crossing her arms. "I can't believe Rifle actually liked Apollo! She still can't stand me, even after everything we've been through!"

_Well, you did call her a little pipsqueak when we were investigating the aquarium way back when. _He shook off the thought, hoping to avoid what he knew would be an upcoming argument between the two attorneys. Phoenix saw the agency come into view. "Almost there you guys."

Athena began running past them. "Whoever gets there last is Taka's prey!"

_Really? Did she really have to say that? _Shaking his head, Apollo sped up his walking while Trucy ran after Athena.

The yellow-clad lawyer opened the office door, only to slap her hands on her cheeks and scream.

"Eek!" Trucy stopped in her tracks, immediately frightened. She had no idea why Athena was screaming, but she didn't want to know.

"Athena! What's wrong?!" Phoenix ran past her and into the office.

"It's…it's…it's…!" She pointed a gloved finger, unable to say anything more.

"What is it? A snake?!" Apollo, who stayed outside the office, peaked inside.

"It's…it's…clean!"

Iris entered, followed by Trucy. "She's right. It's…extremely clean."

"So let me get this straight. You nearly burst my eardrums…because the office is clean?" _You've got to be kidding me. _

"Hey! In my defense, the office was really messy when we left, which means that someone's dropped by!"

Phoenix looked around. "I don't think anything's been stolen. Nothing important anyway." He turned around, crossing his arms. Everyone by now was in the office, and the door was shut. "Now…who forgot to lock the office?" No one spoke up at first. They only stared at the ground. "Well…I'm waiting. The guilty party should just step up and confess to their crime."

The other four exchanged glances, but it was Trucy who spoke up. "You asked me to do it Daddy, but I knew I'd forget, so I told Polly to."

"Trucy told me to, but I was busy, so I asked Athena if she would."

"I asked Iris to lock the office."

"And I told you Feenie."

"And I…" He faltered. "Forgot."

"That's just like you, Nick! Blaming others for something _you _did wrong!"

_That voice…_

The door to the other room opened, and out came two spirit mediums.

"Maya! Pearls!"

"Mr. Nick, Sister Iris, Trucy, Apollo, Athena!" Pearl placed her hands together and bowed respectfully.

"Nick! Iris! Everyone!" Maya ran towards them, arms open for a hug. "Group hug!"

The seven of them gathered for a big hug, when Maya sniffed something and pulled away. "Why do I smell…chlorine?"

Apollo sighed heavily. "That…would be me."

Pearl covered her mouth with her hand. "What happened to you Apollo? You're…all wet!"

"Ora happened to me."

"Ora? Oh!" The young spirit medium's hands went to her cheeks as she smiled. "You went to Shipshape Aquarium, didn't you?"

"We did. It was real fun!" Athena informed them of the trip.

"Mr. Rimes wanted us to specifically say hi to you, Pearls. He said, and I quote: 'Tell Small Fry I said hi!'"

"Oh! How nice of him!"

His eyes glanced around the office once more before landing on 'Small Fry.' "So you're the one who cleaned the office, huh Pearls?"

She nodded. "I thought it would be nice for you to come back to a neat and tidy office, Mr. Nick." She bit her thumb. "You…aren't mad, are you?"

"Of course not! I'm thankful! This place sure could've used a cleaning! Thank you, Pearls."

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Nick. Now please, everyone sit down! I'll make us all some tea, and you can tell Mystic Maya and me about your trip!"

"Sounds good, but first, let me go get changed out of these wet clothes." He quickly did so and came out to join the others, who were all sitting on the couches.

As Pearls was preparing the tea, Iris, Athena, Trucy and Apollo took turns relaying their time at Shipshape. Pearls and Maya went on to tell them about their adventures at Kurain.

When the tea was being served, Phoenix came out of the bathroom, beaming. "You even cleaned the toilet, Pearls!" He turned to Apollo and Athena. "Pearls always does such a wonderful job with cleaning the toilet. It sparkles and shines. Not to mention, I never have to ask her to do it. You two should take some lessons from her."

"Great. Now we'll be held to an even higher standard than we were before," Apollo muttered.

"Yeah, thanks Pearly."

Pearl just grinned, happy that Phoenix was pleased.

"So the two of you will be staying with me, aren't you?" Iris asked them.

"Oh! You wouldn't mind, would you Sister Iris? We'd love to stay with you!" Pearl clapped her hands, smiling brightly.

"I wouldn't mind at all!"

Trucy took the last sip of her tea. "How long are the two of you going to stay?"

"About three and a half weeks. If we stay any longer, Pearly will miss school, and I can only take so much vacation from Kurain."

"Cool!" Athena could already imagine what they could do in the next three and a half weeks. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Phoenix chuckled. "With you here, Maya, maybe we'll even get a case to handle."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Maya's cheeks puffed out. After a moment though, she calmed down.

_H-how did she do that?! _"You alright Maya?" He asked cautiously.

"Of course I am, Nick! After all, you just complimented me."

"Complimented…you? How?"

"When you said that you might get a case since I'm here. That must mean I'm a good luck charm for you, and I consider that a major compliment!"

Phoenix just shook his head. _I'll never understand her…_

They had all finished their tea and were now sitting around, wondering what they should do.

"Hey guys! I have an awesome idea!" Maya pulled out from behind her a DVD. "Let's watch…the Steel Samurai!"

While everyone else cheered, Phoenix just groaned. _Not that top-knot! I've watched that show so many times, I probably know the dialogue of every episode better than even Edgeworth does! _He attempted to tiptoe his way into the room where his desk was, only for Trucy to pull him away.

"Come on, Daddy! This'll be so much fun!"

Phoenix smiled weakly at her and sat down between her and Iris. _Ugh. Time to be bored out of my mind…well, maybe I can sneak in a nap. _Maya shrieked as soon as the theme music began playing. _…Or not. _

**I attempted to make this funny…whether I was successful or not, I'm not sure (I'm hoping I did though!). Please feel free to review or leave a private message. Thanks!**

**And really Phoenix? There's no way you could know the words better than Edgeworth. Shame on you for thinking that!**


	6. Turnabout Prosecutors

**Just another little fun chapter I wrote up. It's relatively short, but I'm hoping you like it!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**_

**Chapter 4 – Turnabout Prosecutors**

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth!" Kay charged into the office and made her way to the chair in front of his desk.

"Kay." _What does she want right now? _

"Mr. Edgeworth. It wouldn't kill you to look up from your paperwork, you know! Don't be rude to your guest!"

_It's rather rude to barge into someone's office without at least warning them or knocking on the door. _He set down his pen and looked up at her. "Yes Kay? What can I help you with?"

"Guess who my new neighbor is?"

_Of course. Perish the thought that she'd come in here with a question about prosecuting. _"I'm assuming it's someone I know." He tried to maintain a patient voice, even though he was already annoyed.

"Serena!"

"Ms. Sterling?" _Oh dear. The poor woman. Given what Kay was like as my assistant and how she is here at the office, I can't imagine what it'll be like for her to be Kay's neighbor. She has my sympathies in advance. _He raised a finger and waved it at her. "Please Kay. Don't bother her to death. She's a very busy woman and doesn't need to deal with your shenanigans."

"Mr. Edgeworth!" She accused. "I am _not_ going to bother her with my shenanigans! Besides, she even said she's very glad to have me as a neighbor!" She rubbed her nose proudly.

_Because she has no idea what you're capable of, unlike me. Give it time. She'll see. _"Is that all you came here to tell me?"

Kay pondered the question for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Pretty much."

He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before heaving a sigh. "Kay, I really wish you'd make better use of your time."

"Mr. Edgeworth! Come on! Loosen up a little! I just thought you might be curious to know!"

He opened his eyes, glaring. "No Kay, I am not curious at all. I don't care who your new neighbor is. I already have so many other things to worry about, and I really don't have the time to listen to this nonsense."

Kay leaned back, unsure of how to respond. This was highly unlike the Chief Prosecutor, to lose his cool and speak so severely to her. Yes, he would reprimand her, but he never spoke so harshly to her. She didn't know if she felt offended or surprised. Probably a combination of both.

She gripped the handles of the chair tightly. "Obviously, you're busy, Mr. Edgeworth." She pushed herself up to a standing position. "I'll leave you alone. Sorry I bothered you." With that, she left the office, closing the door carefully behind her.

* * *

_What's got Mr. Edgeworth all worked up?! He couldn't have been that angry at me for coming in…It has to be something else. But what? _Moving her eyes from the ground, she found herself on the floor of her office. At the end of the hall, standing in a group were Klavier, Simon and Franziska.

Putting on a smile, she headed over to them. "Hey guys!"

"Kay Faraday." The older, female prosecutor greeted her.

"Fraulein Faraday."

"Faraday-dono."

_*Sigh* Will they ever just call me Kay? Even Mr. Edgeworth calls me Kay! _"Hey fellow prosecutors! How are all of you doing today?"

"We were just discussing our recent cases," the platinum-haired prosecutor replied.

"Oh! So all of you won your last cases? That's great!" Kay exclaimed. The three older prosecutors all turned away, suddenly distracted by their surroundings. "Wait. You guys…lost, didn't you?" She couldn't resist giggling.

It was true. Franziska, Klavier, and Simon lost to Athena, Phoenix, and Apollo respectively. They weren't exactly pleased, to say the least.

"Hmph. As if you emerged victorious from your last case, Faraday-dono," Simon remarked.

*SNAP*

"You foolish fool who foolishly brandishes foolish swords! How dare you insult Kay Faraday like that?! She actually did win her last case, did you not?"

Kay placed her hands on her hips, courage growing inside her knowing that Franziska was on her side. "You bet I did! You better not insult me, Prosecutor Blackquill; otherwise, you might just find something amiss in your office." She snickered, ignoring Simon's glare. She then crossed her arms. "Besides. It isn't about winning our case, is it? It's about revealing the truth, or in my case, stealing the truth!"

"Fraulein Faraday is right, Herr Blackquill. What's important is that we find the truth and that the correct verdict is handed down to the defendant." Kay smiled, knowing the former rock star was also on her side. "Although, I think your wording in that last sentence isn't totally appropriate, Fraulein Faraday. You wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, ja?"

Kay frowned. "Well Prosecutor Gavin. You aren't supposed to play music or the air guitar in court, and yet you still do it!"

"Er…Fraulein Faraday…what does that have to do with anything?"

"…If you're allowed to play music in court, then I should be able to say I'm stealing the truth!"

"Hmph. You shouldn't be able to say that, and technically, Gavin-dono, or anyone for that matter, is not allowed to play music in the courtroom."

"Just like how you aren't allowed to attack people with your feather…and Taka!" Kay added, both helping and hurting Blackquill's argument.

Franziska wagged her finger. "Kay Faraday has made a valid point, Simon Blackquill."

"Hmph. And what about you, Karma-dono? You aren't supposed to be able to use your whip in court."

*SNAP*

"Fool! I am Franziska von Karma, the protégé prosecutor! I am allowed to do whatever I want! If I want to carry a whip with me and use it, then I can!"

"If that's the case, I should be able to bring not just Taka or my feather, but a blade into court."

Klavier and Kay knew better than to get involved in an argument between the two weapon-wielding prosecutors. "How long do you think they'll keep this up, Prosecutor Gavin?" Kay whispered to Klavier.

He shook his head. "No idea, Fraulein Faraday. No idea." Realizing that he should be the adult and try to intervene, Klavier cleared his throat loudly. "Herr Blackquill, Fraulein von Karma."

"What?!" They shouted at him.

"Chill out, ja? No one's making a big issue about you whipping people and you using your feather and bird to attack people, right?" He motioned to Franziska and Simon respectively.

They both stood there silently. Simon turned his head to the right. "Hmph."

"There is one person, Klavier Gavin, who has a bit of a problem with our courtroom antics. Such a shame you didn't see that." Franziska smirked.

"Oh? And who is that?"

"Miles Edgeworth, of course."

"Yes, Chief Prosecutor. You're correct, Karma-dono. He called me into his office just the other day after I accidentally brought Taka with me to the trial a few days ago. He was not pleased with what happened that day."

Kay tilted her head. "What happened?"

"He gave me a strict warning about having Taka in the courtroom. Taka…attacked Justice-dono and nearly cut off the two pieces of hair that protrude from his head in the front."

"Heh, heh. You mean Herr Forehead's horns? You're very lucky that nothing happened to them. He's very protective of them."

"Hmph. I was actually hoping to see how Justice-dono would react if that were to occur."

_Er…I think you should be worried about whether Taka could have hurt him! _Kay was fascinated by her fellow prosecutors. They were a rather…interesting bunch, and moments like these were rare where they were together. She found it rather entertaining, especially when they engaged in petty arguments, not realizing until the end (when she pointed something out) that the argument was silly.

"Speaking of Chief Prosecutor, he does seem a little more…irritable these past few days," Simon began, shifting the subject of their conversation to their boss.

"Hm…you're right, Herr Blackquill. What he needs is a vacation, ja? Or a Fraulein of his own."

"Hmph. As if Chief Prosecutor would ever take a vacation. And have you not taken a look in the mirror, Gavin-dono? You also don't have a 'Fraulein,' do you?" This made Klavier glower at the now-sneering Simon.

Kay ignored their brewing argument. "You know, I do wonder what's got Mr. Edgeworth all upset and more frowny-faced than usual. Do you know what's wrong?" She questioned Franziska.

Franziska had her arms crossed, and she grabbed at one of her sleeves, eyes shut. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to divulge such information to you."

_So either she actually can't tell me…or she doesn't know. She probably doesn't know._

Franziska held her whip in her hand. "I must return to my office. Unlike the two of you, I don't have time to waste fighting about relationships, or lack thereof." She marched off towards her office.

"Hmph. I don't have time to fritter away either." Simon headed to his own office.

"Ah well. I should go back to my office, too. It would be good for you to do the same, Fraulein Faraday."

Kay watched as Klavier left, leaving her to stand all by herself. _They can be pretty funny…and pretty boring too. _She smiled momentarily, before grimacing. _But what could be the matter with Mr. Edgeworth? I want to ask him…but I might just make him even angrier than he already is. _Still worried about her friend, Kay retired to her own office.

**Hm…What **_**is**_ **the matter with Edgeworth? I meant for this chapter to be kind of a glimpse of what I think a 'normal' conversation between the four prosecutors would be like. I tried to make it somewhat funny, but not sure if I did that well. This was more of a filler chapter. The better ones are coming up soon (they're still being edited and all). Anyway, please leave a review and or private message me. Thanks!**


	7. Planning the Turnabout

**Finally! A chapter with a point to it! (In other words, this is actually an important chapter for the story, versus the last few fun chapters I wrote.)**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!_**

**Chapter 5 - Planning the Turnabout**

"Okay! I think I finally got it down, Athena! Here, let me show you!" Trucy pulled Athena by the hand to the red sofa in the lobby of the agency and sat her down.

"Which trick did you master, Trucy?"

"The rip-it-up-and-restore trick!"

Athena smile faltered. "O-oh. Uh…so what exactly are you ripping up?" _Please don't be anything from my desk!_

"That? Well, I found this random paper on Polly's desk." She held up crinkled sheet.

Athena's concern was immediately replaced by curiosity. "What's on it?" Athena stood up to go and examine the paper.

"Oh, I think it's a love letter he was drafting for Juniper."

"A love letter? A real one?! Let me see!" She peeked over Trucy's shoulder. "Dear Sunflower. Dear Junie. Dear Juniper." She snorted. "Look at how many times he's crossed out the greeting!" She read on. "I know we've been dating for a while now." She didn't finish reading the letter and held it to her chest. "Aw…that's so cute! He actually _is_ writing her a love letter!"

"Maybe you inspired him to write one after you stole that piece of paper he was writing on," Trucy pointed out.

"Hm…you're right. I remember that. Mr. Wright yelled at us for being loud while he was on the phone." She then smiled. "But still. Our little Apollo is growing up, professing his love for Junie! Sooner or later, they'll get married!" Athena started fanaticizing. "Oh, and Junie will ask me to be her maid of honor, and I'll help her plan the best wedding ever!"

"Um…Athena? I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. Besides, we'll have another wedding to plan before Polly's!"

Athena looked down at Trucy. "Whose wedding?"

"Why, Daddy and Iris's, of course!" Trucy had been refraining from calling Iris 'Mommy' in front of everyone. She was waiting for the right time to start using the title.

"You're right! I almost forgot! Mr. Wright and Iris should get married before any of us do! I wonder when Mr. Wright will propose to her."

"Yeah, I wonder that too. I've been trying to ask him, but he keeps avoiding the question." Trucy crossed her arms, a small pout forming on her face. She shook it off. "Whoa! We went on a major tangent! Let me show you that trick!"

Athena sat back down on the sofa. "I'm all ears…er, I mean eyes!"

Giggling, Trucy grasped the paper. "As you can see, this here is a wrinkled piece of paper. More specifically, a love note my brother wrote for his girlfriend. Now…how about I be an evil little sister and…" She tore the paper in half. "Rip it up!"

Acting as if she was an audience member of the magic show, Athena gasped. "Oh my! What an awful thing to do! What will you tell your brother?!"

Trucy held onto her magic hat, smiling gloriously. "Never fear, deeply-concerned audience member, for now you will witness my amazing rip-it-up-and-restore trick! Watch as I continue to rip apart this letter into little itty-bitty pieces!" With her gloved hands, Trucy continued ripping the paper until it was at least one hundred pieces. She let them flutter to the ground.

"Now…prepare to be amazed!" She picked up the pieces and held them in her left hand. In her right was a gold wand, which she tapped on the pieces. "One, two, three! Tada!"

Athena waited. Trucy tried again. "Er…Trucy?"

"Wait…Third times always a charm, right?" Once more, she attempted to execute the trick…and failed.

"That letter…I hope that wasn't too important to Apollo," Athena mused.

"Heh, heh, heh. Yeah…" Trucy rushed over to the trashcan and sprinkled the torn love letter in it. She returned to Athena. "Let's…act like that never happened, alright?"

Athena ran her fingers across her lips in a zipping motion. "My lips are sealed."

Before they could talk further, they heard a knock at the door. "The door's open!" Trucy faced the door, ready to greet their visitor. "Hello! Welcome to the Wright Anything Agency, where you've _always_ come to the 'Wright' place! How can we help you toda-" She covered her mouth as she gasped. She then smiled brightly. "Hello Mr. Gavin!"

"Little Fraulein. Fraulein Cykes. Thank you for the warm welcome!"

"Please come in and have a seat!" Trucy pulled him by the arm and pushed him down onto the sofa. "So…what brings you here to the 'Wright' place, Mr. Gavin?"

"Ha ha. Can I not come to visit my friends here without an ulterior motive, Little Fraulein?" This made Trucy blush a little.

"You can, yes. But today, that isn't the case, is it Prosecutor Gavin?" In response to the questioning look he gave her, Athena grinned. "I can hear your emotions. Remember? Sensitive hearing?"

"Ah yes. That interesting skill you possess. I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

Trucy clapped her hands. "Come on, Mr. Gavin! Tell us! What's the matter? How can we offer our assistance to you today?"

"Oh…I…I don't think I should ask. You are probably busy anyway."

Trucy shook her head. "Us? Nah! I've just been practicing my magic, while Athena's been sitting here, wasting away with nothing good to do," Trucy explained casually.

_Trucy! Don't tell him that! _"Er…I've been…keeping myself occupied with…stuff." She shifted the focus onto him. "Now let's get to it. What can we help you with?"

The former rock star had his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "Yes, that. Well…"

_I sense apprehension, embarrassment, and…some sorrow? What could possibly be bothering him of all people? _

Trucy placed a hand on his arm. "Come on, Mr. Gavin! Don't be shy! We're all friends here, aren't we?" Trucy looked up at Athena, who agreed.

"We sure are. Now just tell us what's bothering you."

"I…I need your assistance." He stopped, and Athena waved her hands, motioning for him to continue. "I…" He hesitated, staring down at the ground.

_Gee. I've never seen him so conflicted before. It's kind of unnerving. _"Prosecutor Gavin. Is everything oka-"

"I want to win a girl's heart!" He blurted out.

Athena and Trucy stared at him with wide eyes. "You want to win…"

"A girl's heart?" Trucy finished for Athena.

_He's a former rock star. It can't be that difficult for him to win a girl's heart…he's already won at the very least a million girls' hearts. Unless… _Athena pulled herself out of her thoughts to hear him.

He nodded, his tan cheeks turning a little rouge. "You see…there's this one girl..."

"Detective Skye," Athena clarified. Klavier sputtered, trying to deny the obvious fact. The yellow-clad defense attorney crossed her arms, smiling. "Come on, Prosecutor Gavin. You can't fool me."

"Or me!"

"Right. It's not _that _hard to tell that you have some…special feelings for Detective Skye. Isn't that the reason why you agreed to act like you were my boyfriend so many months ago?"

"That wasn't the only reason. I wanted to help you get together with Herr Blackquill."

"Oh, right. Because you were _so _concerned about my love life, hm?" Athena replied.

"What is it about Ema you like, Mr. Gavin?" Trucy asked, eager to know.

"Well, she's the one girl who hasn't been fawning over me because I'm a rock star. She treats me like a normal human being, ja?"

_True, she doesn't fawn over you…but I can't say I agree with you on that second part. She's pretty mean to him. But then again, Simon can be pretty mean to me too. _

"She's so…passionate about forensics, and science in general. I've yet to meet anyone who's so enthusiastic about it." He grinned. "Science was my least favorite subject in school. I'd usually either fall asleep in class or write song lyrics about how boring it was." He chuckled when a memory came to mind. "One of the songs I wrote had these lyrics: biology is the study of life? More like biology is the end of my life." This earned a few laughs from the two girls. His eyes then became distant. "But she…she makes it quite fascinating."

_Prosecutor Gavin's got it bad for her. I don't need special hearing to know that. _

"And she's pretty too!" Trucy added, and she giggled when Klavier's already red face only became redder.

"That…that she is," he admitted.

Athena nodded her head. "You two do seem to have good chemistry."

"We…do?" Klavier appeared and sounded unconvinced.

"Sure you do. Deep down, under those taunts you send towards Detective Skye are the desperate calls for attention and adoration."

He chose to ignore the "desperate" part. "Is that so?" He pulled at his hair before asking, "And what about Fraulein Detective? Do you know how she feels about me? You are the psychologist with enhanced auditory abilities, aren't you Fraulein Cykes?"

"Now, now. I use my analytical psychology in the courtroom, meaning I can't tell you whether or not Detective Skye returns your feelings, Prosecutor Gavin." It wasn't really a matter of abusing her powers (she never saw it that way), but Athena herself couldn't get a clear reading of Ema's emotions when it came to the prosecutor. She didn't want to lead the man on and make him think his crush reciprocated his feelings when in fact she didn't.

"Of course. I didn't think I would get that lucky. But…" His voice lowered. "I…I figured I could come to the two of you to seek help. After all, Fraulein Detective seems to get along well with you two, and with Herr Forehead and Herr Wright also."

Athena shared a look with Trucy before beaming at him. "We'd be more than happy to assist you in getting together with Detective Skye!"

"Mmhm!" Trucy agreed.

Klavier brightened up at that statement. "You will? Oh, thank you, Frauleins! I appreciate it a lot…" He sighed a little, turning his eyes away from them. "It…took me a lot of guts to come here and ask for help."

Indeed. He was debating on if it was a good idea to ask for help on a matter that was seemingly trivial, to some anyways. But little did Klavier know that Trucy and Athena were eventually going to plan on pairing up the two enemies.

"I can tell. It really shattered your pride, didn't it?" She chuckled a little, recalling how she'd joked about his broken statue during the Themis Legal Academy case investigation.

He didn't respond verbally, but did manage to smirk. "Leave everything to us, Mr. Gavin. Athena and I will brainstorm some ideas, do some research, and let you know what we come up with!"

"Excellent. I knew I could depend on both of you. Thank you again. You really are the Wright _Anything_ Agency, aren't you?"

Trucy nodded. "And proud of it!" The three of them stood up, and the girls showed Klavier to the door.

He stood in the doorway. "Can we…keep this whole thing quiet for a while? You know, just between the three of us?"

"Sure we can! Sounds good!" Once he left, Trucy shut the door and rubbed her palms together. "Okay Athena! Let's get brainstorming!"

They seated themselves on the sofa and crossed their arms, ready to think of a plan. After two minutes, Athena turned to Trucy. "Any ideas?"

"Nope!"

Athena sighed. "This might be a little harder than we thought." She tapped on her earring. "We've got to figure out how we're going to get Ema to fall for Prosecutor Gavin."

Trucy was silent for a moment. "Oh! Maybe we could lock them up in a room together and convince Ema that they're both going to die! Then, she'll come to realize that she has feelings for him that she's just been suppressing for the longest time and admit them to him!"

Athena blinked before laughing weakly. "As…nice as that idea does sound, Trucy, it might pose some serious issues." Athena counted off on her fingers. "For one, we'd have to find some way to get them in the same room together. Knowing Ema, she'd hate to be in the same room as Prosecutor Gavin unless she absolutely had to be. Second, if we did lock them up in the room, I think Ema might just kill him instead of admit her feelings. And finally, when we have to finally set them free, Ema might come and kill us for setting her up like that."

Trucy frowned, her arms folded across her chest. "You're right. I…guess I didn't really think that idea through."

"If she does like Prosecutor Gavin, she's going to try denying it no matter what."

"But there's that question of if. Do you think she could like him, Athena?"

That was the troubling thought on both their minds. Did the detective really harbor feelings for the younger Gavin brother?

"That's what we'll need to investigate first, won't we?"

"Right…but what if she doesn't?"

"Hm…if she doesn't…then…then we'll just make her fall for him!" Athena declared. "That's right! If Ema Skye doesn't like Klavier Gavin, we'll convince her to like him!"

Hearing Athena's determination relieved Trucy, who was beginning to get worried. "You're absolutely right, Athena! After all, we are the Wright Anything Agency! No job's too hard for us!"

"First, we should learn more about Detective Skye. I think Kay mentioned that she knew Ema from a long time ago. Maybe we could start with her?"

"Sounds like a good idea! While you talk to Kay, I can visit Ema and find out some more from her." Trucy smiled mischievously. "All I'll need to do is a little buttering up, and things should go smoothly!"

"Right. Speaking of Kay, that reminds me!" She turned to Trucy, excitement sparkling in her blue eyes. "I have the perfect idea of who Mr. Edgeworth's special someone can be!"

"Really?! You do?! Come on! Tell me! Who is it?!"

Athena briefed Trucy on her conversation with Juniper about Justine Courtney, and by the end, the young professional was sold. "It's official: those two are a match made in heaven! And we're going to show them that! Subtly, though. Mr. Edgeworth is probably going to be able to see through our excuses, especially after all those dates we hoodwinked him into."

Athena grimaced at memories of the dates gone horribly wrong, but then smiled at the prospect of finally getting the man a girlfriend. "We sure are! I'll have Junie introduce us to Judge Courtney soon." Their attentions were caught by the door, which opened to reveal Apollo.

"Hey Polly! Back so soon?"

"Yes, I am. I would've been back earlier, but Mr. Starbuck and I lost track of time." He searched around the office with his eyes. "It's just the two of you?"

"Yeah. Everyone else is still out." The Fey girls and Phoenix had gone out to visit a certain TV star friend of theirs.

"I see. Well, I'll be at my desk if anything exciting happens." He went to office room, shutting the door behind him.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Athena!"

"We sure do!"

"Hopefully, we can get all of this done before school opens again."

"HEY! WHO'S BEEN MESSING AROUND NEAR MY DESK?!"

Athena and Trucy exchanged fearful glances. "Run!"

**Oh boy. They're at it again. I wonder what kind of craziness the two youngest members of the Wright Anything Agency will get themselves into. ****Please feel free to leave a review and or private message me. Thanks!**


	8. Turnabout Progress?

**This chapter has just been begging to be posted, so I decided not to wait; otherwise, I'll never update this story! Not sure if anyone noticed, but I changed the summary of the story. **

**But enough of my mini-writing rant. Time to enjoy the chapter *cough* because the next one might not be so happy *cough.* Go on! Don't be shy! **

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**__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 6 – Turnabout Progress?**

Serena Sterling got off the elevator on the 10th floor at the Prosecutor's Office. After a few months of working with the office as a temporary medical consultant, she'd managed to navigate her way through the building.

Today, she was to go meet with one Mr. Klavier Gavin, a prosecutor she had yet to work with, much to her surprise and worry. _Well, I've worked with a prosecutor whose hobby is whipping people, and another one who loves to make sword metaphors and have his pet hawk attack people. I can only hope this prosecutor won't find some way to intimidate me. _She knocked on the door cautiously.

"Come in!"

Serena opened the door and nearly gasped. _This…office…is an absolute mess! _She held back the urge to cringe at the clutter before her. She pushed her hands in her pockets, her fingers itching to put everything in a proper place.

"Hello there, Fraulein." The platinum blonde flashed a smile at her. "I am Klavier Gavin, and who might you be?"

_He…has a slight European accent, and he called me Fraulein. Maybe he's German? _"Oh. Pardon my barging in. My name's Serena Sterling. I'm-"

"Ah yes. Fraulein Sterling. How wonderful it is to meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you too." _He seems…nice. Maybe I've caught a lucky break! _She clasped her hands together. "So how about we get on to talking about that autopsy report?"

"Fraulein Sterling. We don't need to rush things. Let's sit down and talk a little, ja?"

_I came here as a medical consultant, not to engage in small talk. _"Er…well, I thought I was here to…help out with understanding the autopsy report and going over the victim's medical history."

"You are, yes, but how about you relax a little, hm? Those bags under your eyes show you're a bit stressed."

She politely declined. "No thank you, Prosecutor Gavin. I'd just like to get straight to business, if you don't mind."

Klavier frowned a little. _Not a very fun Fraulein…_ "Yes, but we'll have to wait for Fraulein Detective to get here. She would like to be present for this, apparently."

"Alright then." _If I stay in this office any longer, I'm either going to explode or start picking everything up. _She figured she'd look around the room to distract herself, and started by examining the guitar display on the right wall_. Is he…a musician? Well, given his appearance, I certainly wouldn't be surprised. He's probably one of the most modern-dressed prosecutors I've seen, besides Kay. _

She noticed that he was leafing through some papers and saw another guitar on a stand beside him. _He appears to be…harmless. I just hope he doesn't have a guitar that doubles as a Taser, or something that he'll use to attack me out of the blue, but knowing my luck, I wouldn't be surprised. _

"Fraulein Sterling. You didn't seem to recognize me when you came in."

"Hm?" She peeled her eyes from the guitar to see that he was observing her.

He pulled at a lock of his hair, a knowing smile pulling at his lips. "You'll probably remember me when I mention the Gavinners?"

She blinked a couple of times. "The…Gavinners?"

"You know, the band? We were quite famous. Surely you've heard of us?"

The name wasn't ringing any bells to her. She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't recall hearing about you."

"Oh." Klavier was suddenly not in the mood to talk so much. _Ah well, she must not keep up with society. _"How about I play you one of our famous songs?"

"Oh, you don't need to go through all the trouble to-"

"No trouble at all, Fraulein Sterling." He went over to his stereo system and tapped a few buttons. "Achtung, baby! You're about to be blown away by our most famous single, 'Guilty Love.'"

_But I don't want to be blown away! I just want to talk about the autopsy! And did he just call me baby?!_

An electric guitar blared through the speakers, causing the doctor jump a little in her place. _This music is pretty loud. He could turn down the volume a bit. Won't people next door to him be able to hear this music playing? _

Klavier leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he regarded Serena carefully. _She doesn't show signs of either knowing or not knowing the song…Does she even like it, I wonder. _

She stood there awkwardly, feeling his gaze on her. _What does he expect me to do? Burst out into dance? _Nonetheless, she did listen. _It's a pretty good song, although I'd enjoy it much more at a lower volume. _

"I can hear this trash on the elevator from the first floor!" A voice exaggerated after the office door was slammed open.

"Ah, Fraulein Detective. Right on time."

"Hello Detective Skye." _Finally! Progress!_

Ema stopped short. "Er…do I know you?" _Who's this weirdo in the lab coat? She seems…familiar. _

"I'm Serena Sterling. We met at Trucy's birthday party a few months back?"

"Oh? Oh… Oh! I remember you!" Ema smiled at her. "Nice to see you again, doctor!" Her smiled disappeared the instant her eyes landed on Klavier. "Alright fop. Time to get this over with."

…_Fop? Why do I feel like things aren't going to well?_

"Fraulein Detective. You just arrived." He placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward. "Take some rest, and we can take things slowly, ja?"

_What?! But you said we could get this over with once she got here! _

"No, fop. I don't want to rest and take things slowly. I want to talk about the autopsy report and find out more about the victim!" She huffed, turning her head to her right.

"Ach. Of course. Always quite impatient, aren't you Fraulein Detective?"

She faced him, irritated. "I am not impatient! You're just not serious. At all!"

_Although she didn't need to yell at him, I have to agree. He's probably the least serious prosecutor I've encountered to date. _Serena just listened to them.

"Fraulein Detective. You know me, don't you? I am serious when I need to be, and right now, I see no reason to be serious. You must admit. It's nice to interact with a more laidback prosecutor such as myself, correct?"

"Incorrect. One of the unspoken qualifications for being a prosecutor is seriousness. A quality you are severely lacking in."

He shut his eyes and snapped his fingers while considering her statement. "Oh…then I'll have to tell Fraulein Thief that you don't think she's fit to be a prosecutor, ja?"

_Fraulein Thief? Who is that? Wait! I'm getting distracted! We're supposed to be talking about the autopsy! _"Er...could we maybe-"

"Kay…She's…different!"

"How so? Is it because she's a girl? My, my Fraulein Detective. I never thought you were one to discriminate people in such a way!"

Ema gasped indignantly. "Excuse me?! I do _not_ discriminate against anyone! How dare you say that to me?! Besides, I'm just saying that she's a special case!"

"What makes her a special case?" Klavier didn't find it hard to maintain his suave composure.

Ema growled, eyes shooting laser beams at the prosecutor. Serena could see her visibly shaking in what she assumed to be rage. _Well, she sure isn't mad at him. _Klavier was grinning at the detective as they exchanged words, not at all intimidated by her anger.

After taking another look at each of them, Serena backed off. "Er…I-I think I should go now."

"No wait!" Serena stilled. "You're going to stay and do your job, Doctor!" Ema commanded.

"Ah, ah, ah, Fraulein Detective. Let Fraulein Sterling go and relax a little."

Ema whipped back to face him, crossing her arms defiantly. "She won't go. She's going to stay!"

"She'll go." Klavier stated coolly.

"She'll stay!" She barked back.

"She'll go." He remained completely unfazed, and that only served to rile up Ema more.

"Um…excuse me?" Serena attempted to interject.

"She'll stay!"

Klavier imitated Ema's pose. "She'll go."

"Can we get to the au-"

"She'll. Stay."

"Maybe I'll just-"

"She'll go."

The tense atmosphere building up in the room made Serena uneasy. Had this been in the ER, she wouldn't have let the argument escalate this far, but she had no authority here. _Flight or fight. It's either I stay here and get involved in their fight….or just go. _

Ema's hand reached into her bag and quickly took hold of a handful of a pellet-like object. "She will stay!"

The doctor noted a glint in the detective's eyes, one which was unsettling. _Oh, she's going to go._ She fled out of the room, shutting the door behind her and pressing her back against it. _Phew. That…was unexpected. _

She could hear Klavier shout, followed by a showering of taps on the floor. _I bet they didn't even realize I'm not in there anymore. Oh well._ She sighed and removed herself from the door. _ I better go tell Mr. Edgeworth about this little…delay._

* * *

"Take that!" Ema exclaimed, throwing a whole bunch of something at him.

"ACH!" He was too late to cover his face and just shut his eyes. He could hear a whole bunch of 'ka-tonks.'

Ema shrieked and slapped her right hand on her cheek. "Oh no! My snackoos!" She sent a death glare at Klavier. "You stupid fop! You made me throw my snackoos!" In the midst of their quarrel, she didn't realize that she had grabbed ahold of them.

Klavier opened his eyes and stared at his floor, which was now littered with the detective's favorite snack. "Well, I'm safe and sound, Fraulein Detective. Thank you for your concern. And you threw them out of your own free will."

His response fell on deaf ears. "My poor…snackoos! Gone to waste!" Ema was on her knees, gathering up her precious food.

If he didn't find the site of her mourning over the food humorous, Klavier would've felt extremely guilty. "Fraulein Detective…they're just chocolate-covered snacks."

"Just chocolate-covered…snacks?!" She stood up, ignoring crunching sound she made as she stepped on them. "These delicacies are what have kept me sane these past few years, for you information!"

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that."

She shot a sideways glance at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're speaking as if you still have some sanity left."

Ema gaped at him. "You…you…urgh!" She had a few snackoos in her hand from the floor and threw them right in his face. "Take that." *ka-tonk* "And that." *ka-tonk* "And one last one for good measure!" *ka-tonk*

Clapping her hands to get the crumbs of them, she declared, "I'm leaving!" She made her way to the door, all the while muttering to herself. "Serves me right for coming to the fop's office. Note to self: never do that again!"

Klavier had shut his eyes and allowed her to assault him. Once the door slammed shut, he peeked with one eye before opening the other.

He chuckled. "It looks like both ladies have left me all alone. Ach. Well, the trial isn't for another two days. I can speak with Fraulein Sterling before then." He took a step, only to find that he was stepping on the snackoos. "The least she could've done is picked up after herself."

He bent down and began piling the food in his hands. As he picked up the last piece, he stared at it intently. _This little food item…has been keeping her sane, she said. _His hand closed his hand around it. _Perhaps I went a little too far with what I said. _He grimaced, remembering her fuming as she left. He stood up, the snack still in hand. _Why can't I be more civil with her? I only hope Little Fraulein and Fraulein Cykes will be able to help me._

* * *

Speaking of the Little Fraulein and Fraulein Cykes…

"She should be here any minute." Juniper Woods was seated with Athena and Trucy in the office at the courthouse. They had gotten there about five minutes.

"I'm so excited to meet her, Junie!" _Time to see who this Judge Courtney is! _

The three of them stood up when the door opened to reveal a woman in her early 30s enter. She was wearing a long, black dress with a red sash tied around her waist and a light pink mantle held in place with an emerald clasp. In her right hand was a gold-colored gavel.

_She has the looks of a judge. And…quite a unique hairstyle. _Athena had never seen someone with hair styled like the woman's. There were two braids wrapped around her head, a zig-zag shaped lock by her left ear, and a huge, rectangular bang that went all the way down to her collarbone. It concealed her right eye from their view.

"Ah, Ms. Woods. I see you have brought visitors with you." The judge placed a hand on her chest and bowed her head. "My name is Justine Courtney."

Trucy spoke up first. "Hi Ms. Courtney! My name is Trucy Wright, professional magician!"

"I'm Athena Cykes, attorney at law!"

Justine tilted her head to the side, smiling. "My, what nice friends you have, Ms. Woods. Please be seated, and I'll have someone bring us something to drink." As she strolled over to her desk, Athena and Trucy shared a secret smile. Even though they only just met her, they already confirmed it with each other.

She was perfect.

**Klavier…you're supposed to be **_**nice**_ **to Ema, not get her angry! Don't make Trucy and Athena's job harder than it already is!**

**I like reviews. Reviews are cool and appreciated…Please review, or private message me! I like to know what you guys think and what kind of reactions you might have. I am also pretty receptive to constructive criticism. Thanks!**


	9. The Lonely Turnabout

***** (To skip the author's mini-rant, please go to the next line.)*****

**So I'm a pretty conflicted writer, in case you weren't already aware. I've yet again changed the story title back to the original. I have officially decided that this story will be a romantic comedy, with more focus on comedy (although there will be a few serious parts, emphasis on few), and **_**won't**_** be in two parts. (I removed most of the long author's note from the beginning of the previous chapter).**

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**This is a lengthy, wordy chapter, and if it does provoke any feels…I'm sorry. **

******__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 7 - The Lonely Turnabout**

Miles Edgeworth was a man who often valued solitude. Of course, being Chief Prosecutor of Los Angeles, solitude was something he had to salvage for himself. Due to his profession, he found his office was flooded with visitors. After two years of being head of the Prosecutor's Office, he learned to accept this inevitability, and usually, he could tolerate it.

Today was _not_ a usual day.

It all began with a visit from a certain friendly, bumbling investigator.

"Mr. Edgeworth sir!" The burly man greeted as he entered the office with a single knock as a warning.

"Detective Gumshoe." Edgeworth was sipping on some tea and reading over a case evaluation. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Gumshoe scratched the back of his head. "Heh, heh. I just…wanted to visit you, sir. See how you were doing and all."

"Well, all you needed to do was call me, Detective. There was no need for you to come all the way here from the precinct to ensure I was okay." Edgeworth's eyes never lifted from the file.

Gumshoe shifted uneasily. "I…er…that's true, but…" He faltered.

Edgeworth looked through his lenses at the detective before lifting his head up, taking note of his hesitance. He already knew he wouldn't be pleased with whatever the man had to say. But then again, when was that ever not the case? "What is it, detective?" Gumshoe sputtered, and that just further annoyed the prosecutor. "Come on, just let it out."

"Mr. Edgeworth….Are you alright?" Gumshoe blurted.

"Did I not already establish the fact that I am fine, Detective? Please refrain from repeating the same question."

"I was just thinking, given everything that happ-ah!" Gumshoe was silenced by Edgeworth's glare.

"Detective. It's been two weeks. It does not bother me anymore."

"But pal, are you really-"

"Detective Gumshoe. Don't make me say it again. I am doing completely fine, and I don't appreciate you charging in here just to find out my 'how I'm doing!'" After his outburst, he brought his attention back to the papers on his desk. "Now, unless you have important matters to speak of with me, I am quite busy and would like to be left alone."

Edgeworth missed the dejected frown that came across Gumshoe's face. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll leave you alone." A couple of loud thumps on the wood floor and the door shut, signaling the man's departure.

_*Sigh* Hopefully, there won't be any other interruptions. _

*Knock, knock.*

…_I thought too soon. _

"Yes? The door is unlocked." The person didn't say anything, causing Edgeworth to glance up to see two a person with black hair wearing a white lab coat. "Ms. Sterling? What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be meeting with Prosecutor Gavin?"

He spotted the doctor's fidgeting fingers as she approached his desk, which sparked his already growing irritation. "Er…about that. I did go see him, and we waited for Detective Skye to arrive."

_Oh dear. I can already tell something must've happened. _"Yes?"

"They…started arguing with each other, and I…showed myself out."

"Were you able to talk about the report?" She shook her head, making him sigh heavily. "Of course not." He could feel the corners of his mouth go down even further. "Did you at least try to get them focused?"

"I tried a little, but…it didn't seem to work. Would it be alright if I just discussed it with you?"

He felt like he was being surrounded by incompetence today. "Ms. Sterling. Being the adult, _you_ should've kept them on track instead of letting them waste time," he reprimanded.

She was startled. She hadn't expected him to lash out on her for it. The doctor couldn't help but become a little peeved herself. "If you recall, I did say that I _tried_. I apologize that this has obviously inconvenienced you, but I don't really think it's my fault that I couldn't stop them from arguing," she replied firmly.

"I must object to that. You said 'I tried a little,'" he said verbatim. "This means you could've tried harder. You are director of an emergency room, aren't you? Surely this shouldn't have been such a difficult task."

No comeback came, or rather, one couldn't be conceived. Lowering her eyes in shame, she quickly admitted defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry."

The apology did nothing to improve the prosecutor's sour mood. "You're lucky the trial isn't tomorrow. As for going over the report, I can't spare any time for that today, so you will have to come back tomorrow." Again, he returned his attention to his papers, a sign that the conversation was over.

She lingered in her place before heading to the door. "Right…sorry about that. I'll…see myself out." In the doorway, she stopped to say something, but decided against it, leaving.

_Please…no more interruptions. No more. I would just like to sit here in peace and quiet._

* * *

Of course, the Chief Prosecutor found himself bombarded with many visitors that day, visitors with whom he had to maintain a professional, somewhat friendly demeanor.

It was the late in the afternoon when yet another visitor came into the office. It was a man with short, curly black hair clad in a chocolate button-down shirt, white slacks and an azure necktie. The article of clothing the man wore that was worth noting was a black fedora.

"Hey there, Miles."

_I know that voice. _"Mr. Shields. What are you doing here?" His head was still bowed, not bothering to even look at the man.

"Oh? Just visiting the traitor of the Edgeworth house, that's all."

"Hmph. Of course. I should've expected as much."

The defense attorney took his seat in front of the desk. "You seem to be pretty busy, Miles."

"I don't believe I can say the same for you, if you have time to be wasting here, visiting me."

"Ouch! How can you say that? You've wounded your poor Uncle Ray!" The attorney watched Edgeworth, who was still occupied with whatever it was he was reading. Gone was the older man's grin. It was replaced with a troubled frown. "Miles. Miles." No reaction. "_Miles._"

"Yes?" He didn't bother to even try not to sound exasperated.

"The least you could do is look at me."

Shaking his head, Edgeworth lifted his eyes. "What?"

He found gray eyes scrutinizing his own. "He was right," The attorney mused to himself.

"Who was right?"

"You know." Ray gestured with his hands, as if the answer was obvious.

"Mr. Shields. I've already had it up to here with everything else that's been going on today. I really don't have time for guessing games."

"Whoa!" Ray held both his hands up, leaning back and eyes wide. "It's worse than I thought. No wonder the poor detective was all upset when I ran into him. Good thing he told me all about it."

"…Detective?" …_Gumshoe. Right, I didn't…wait. _Edgeworth narrowed his eyes and now gave his full attention to Raymond. In a low voice he asked, "What exactly did he tell you?"

"He happened to spill the beans about… something that took place…a couple of weeks back."

_Detective Gumshoe…I shouldn't have told him about it. What was I thinking back then?! _He crossed his arms, tapping a finger on his right arm. "The detective was _not_ supposed to tell you that, nor should you concern yourself with it. That is my personal affair."

"Miles. You know, it isn't good to keep your feelings bottled up inside."

"Because telling someone is going to make me feel better, correct?"

"Exactly! Glad to see you finally get it!"

Oh, Edgeworth did _not_ get it at all. "First of all, Mr. Shields, I don't have any feelings 'bottled up' in me. Second of all, I don't have any intention whatsoever of telling anyone about these nonexistent feelings."

"Still just as stubborn as your old man, I see." Ray stood up, shrugging. "Well, I did what I could." He paused. "But seriously Miles. If you need to talk, feel free to stop by the Edgeworth and Co. Law Offices. You may be a traitor…but you are your old man's son."

Edgeworth simply nodded his head and didn't bid farewell to his father's apprentice when he left. He glanced up at the clock on the wall. _5:00. Just a few more hours…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the local precinct…

Ema took a seat in her desk chair and rolled closer to it. Laying her hands flat on the surface, she contemplated what to do first. Her teal-colored eyes landed on a yellow stack, and an idea popped in her head.

Pulling a yellow sticky note, she scribbled on it. "Note to self: have fop by 10 bags of snackoos." She held the note a good distance from her face and stared at it intently, as if she were a painter scrutinizing her artwork for any flaws. She crossed out 10 and wrote 20 instead. A satisfied smile appeared on her face. "That looks perfect!"

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes wandering across her desktop. There was a pile of police reports at one corner, with papers peeking out of their files. A nameplate was at the front of it, with her name printed in white against a gray backdrop. A couple of scientific investigation kits she'd ordered were also on the desk, waiting to be opened. A luminol bottle, fingerprint powder, and the X-ray Analyzer all had their place on the desk. There was a little room left for a single sheet of paper to fit on her workspace.

Anyone who saw it would say it was messy, but that was to be taken as a compliment. It was evidence that she actually did work, unlike most of her coworkers, whose desks were notably spotless. Also, with all of the scientific equipment present on the desk, someone could've mistaken her for a forensic scientist.

It was Ema's dream since her childhood to become a forensic scientist, and she made that known to anyone and everyone she met. She could've stayed in Europe after completing her studies there and worked there in her dream profession. But, as she had told Apollo Justice, she owed favors to the people here and chose to stay in Los Angeles. Of course, the decision to stay would've been much easier to make had she been hired a forensic scientist, but nonetheless, here she was, working as a homicide detective. Just as someone else once did.

The brown-haired detective's gaze finally landed on a photo frame that was sitting near the black desk lamp. She grabbed it and brought it close to her. It was of her and her sister, back when she was just a child, and Lana was a homicide detective. Before the SL-9 incident. They were both smiling and saluting at the camera in front of the same precinct where she worked now.

Lana had finished serving time in jail for forging evidence and had relocated to the middle of the country with her former boyfriend-now-husband, Jake Marshall. Upon failing to qualify for her dream job, Ema was ready to flee to where Lana was, only for her sister to stop her and tell her to not give up hope, to gain some experience as a homicide detective before trying again.

Ema sighed wistfully as she ran her thumb over her sister's face in the frame. She hadn't seen Lana for a while now. Sure, she could call her sister anytime she wanted and talk to her, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing her for real.

She couldn't see Lana's warm smile, or seek out the unspoken wisdom in her teal eyes. She couldn't feel her sister's arms wrapped around her in a sisterly embrace and feel her deep voice reverberate through her own being, filling her with relief and comfort, making her content. Ema nearly shivered at the ghostly sensation she had at that moment of her sister holding her close.

"I know I've never told you this when I call you Lana, but…I miss you. A lot. I'm always around so many people, but…it just isn't the same as having someone who loves you as much as you love me…I can't help but feel…well, kind of alone."

"Hey pal!" Ema quickly set the picture back on the desk and straightened up. Detective Gumshoe popped his head in the doorway. "You should be heading home. It's getting late!"

"I know, and I will, Detective Gumshoe. Thanks." Ema smiled at him. Once he left, she sighed again; however, she was still smiling as she eyed the picture again. "But like I said, I'm surrounded by a lot of people who are care about me…so I'm not _that_ alone. But I still miss you."

* * *

A red sports car pulled into a long driveway. Its engine turned off, but no one got out of it for at least two minutes. Miles Edgeworth didn't hurry to get to his front door. Rather, he walked towards it at a less than leisurely pace.

He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, walking into his mansion. The sound of the door closing behind him echoed around him. He stood in the entryway for a whole minute, bathed in the foyer's dim yellow light, waiting. The ticking noise of the grandfather clock in his living room didn't reach his current location, and his breathing was soundless.

And just like every single day for the past two weeks, he was left disappointed. He whipped off his waistcoat and propped it on the coatrack before venturing further into his abode. He passed by the kitchen and dining room, neither hungry nor thirsty. He climbed the staircase and went directly to his bedroom.

It was the simplest room in the whole house. The walls were beige-colored with no windows, and the floor was covered with lush gray carpeting. A king-sized bed covered with a crimson, sateen duvet, along with a maple wardrobe were among the few pieces of furniture there.

He stood in front of the wardrobe's large mirror. He reached up to undo his cravat. Upon pulling it off his neck, he held the fabric in his rough hands, rubbing his fingers against it. It was soft and familiar, like dog fur. But it was also smooth and didn't provide the same sensation as running a hand over a dog's coat, where one can feel the hairs brush their skin.

His eyes lifted to the lower right corner of the mirror and saw one other piece of furniture that had yet to be removed from the room: a small little maroon-colored bed. Another painful reminder of what occurred half a month ago.

It was _very_ trying on him. He delayed going home, tried to find any and every excuse to stay at the office. Every time he walked inside his home, he expected to see his loyal friend trot up to the door and greet him with an enthusiastic bark, as if saying welcome home. Now, he returned to nothing but complete silence; to no one.

It wasn't as if he had no one to open up to. On the contrary, there were plenty of people he could confide in: Ray, Kay, Phoenix, Detective Gumshoe, and even Franziska, although she might just whip him while providing what little comfort she could. But he didn't like expressing his emotions to even them. He didn't _want_ to talk about it with anyone. He was never comfortable with talking about his feelings anyway. Just the idea of such an act made him feel…vulnerable. Not to mention he didn't see the usefulness in doing so.

He went through life appearing as though he were a robot, displaying little or if any emotions, save for displeasure and frustration. Only in the rarest instances did he find himself flashing a miniscule, short-lived smile. He didn't think he had time to deal with his emotions in his constant pursuit of the truth. Emotions were distractions that had to be pushed aside into the background until they faded away.

He remembered the joke Phoenix made back when they were investigating the UR-1 incident, about how the robots at the Space Center seemed more human than the Chief Prosecutor did. Of course, his friend was only teasing him, but he knew it wasn't far from the reality. Edgeworth wouldn't blame anyone for seriously thinking he was that way. That's the kind of image he had built for himself, or rather, had a certain someone else build for him and he just preserved all these years.

But at the end of the day, he was still only a human being, entitled to having emotions and feelings, despite what others may have thought of him as well as his efforts to suppress them. And as much as he despised admitting it, he couldn't blind himself from the truth of how he was feeling.

Miles Edgeworth was lonely.

* * *

**I hate myself. I. Really. Hate. Myself. I want to hit myself for writing that last part. Pess! Why?! Why did I bring this fate upon you?! **

**In all seriousness though, I personally think Edgeworth adopted her as a puppy around the time when he was 20 or 21, meaning that if she were still alive, Pess would be about 13 or 14 years old at around this time. I checked online, and a golden retriever's average life span is 10 to 12 years, although they're known to be able to live for up to 14 or 15 years. As much as it killed me to do this to her (and him), we have to be a little practical, don't we? But still… **

**Please review or feel free to private message me (and please don't hate me!) **

***And just a last note: this chapter was very wordy, I know. I apologize if I bored any of you to death with my writing. I'm trying hard, I really am. **


	10. Turnabout Conference

**Wow. I get this feeling you guys must've hated me for that last chapter… So I hope you like this one much better.**

*****Warning: This chapter does have spoilers for Ace Attorney Investigations/Gyakuten Kenji 2: Prosecutor's Path. There's no mention of the villains in the game, but some important details are mentioned. **

**********__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 8 – Turnabout Conference**

It was just another normal day at the Wright Anything Agency. Apollo Justice was going about his usual business. That is, cleaning the toilet. He was very preoccupied with the task at hand. After all, Phoenix restricted Pearl from cleaning the toilet and demanded that Apollo and Athena train themselves to clean the toilet as well as the young spirit medium could.

_Even after two or so years of being here, I still sometimes have to convince myself that this _is _a law office, and not just a place where I just come to clean the toilet and do odd jobs…But I guess it is the Wright _Anything_ Agency. _

Having already sprayed the toilet cleaner, he grabbed the brush and was ready to scrub when he heard the front door open and a couple of voices inside the agency lobby.

"That lady was so nice and polite yesterday! She'll be a perfect match for him, I'm sure of it!"

"Right? She works in the legal world and is obviously quite dedicated to her job as a judge. I'm so glad Junie told me about her!"

_Oh boy. Who's this lady they're talking about? Who'd she make a perfect match for? And why did Juniper tell them about her?! _

Intrigued by the conversation (and hoping to delay the toilet cleaning), Apollo pressed his ear to the bathroom door to hear their conversation better.

"Now it's just a matter of talking to Kay about it, and then we can somehow set them up on a date!" Trucy chimed.

"Maybe we should start slowly and not set them up on a date yet? I was thinking we could sort of get them in the same room and see how they interact with each other, and then take things from there."

"Good point, Athena. We should definitely take things slow, _especially_ with Mr. Edgeworth. Now all we have to do is wait for Kay to get here with some more information about Ema."

_Why do they want information on Ema? Just what are these two up to?! _

"Yeah! We should focus on Prosecutor Gavin's request! After all, he _did_ hire us to help him win Ema's heart!"

_He did WHAT?! _Apollo felt the brush slip out of his grip. Fumbling, he was able to catch it right before it hit the tiled floor and gave away his hiding spot. _Prosecutor Gavin must be seeking self-punishment of the worst kind. _

"Oh hey! I have something I want to show you, Trucy. Come on! It's in my desk."

Apollo heard fading footsteps, and the sound of another door being shut. He carefully placed the brush back in its holder, washed his hands, and turned the knob of the bathroom door. He began opening it, only for it to creak.

_Darn it! They'll hear me! _He stood stationary, waiting for the girl's to come out, but they didn't. _Note to self: oil the door hinges to prevent squeaking. _He continued to quietly make his way out of the bathroom and towards the front door.

"Wow! That's pretty cool, Athena!" He could hear their muffled voices become louder as they got closer to the door.

_Agh! _Apollo stood in place, his right leg in front of the left one and his right hand reaching out to the doorknob. It looked like he was playing freeze dance, and the music had stopped. _I'm going to be busted!_

"Oh, wait! I have something else I want to show you, Trucy!" The footsteps were sounding distant.

He sighed in relief as he took another step so that he was standing in the normal position. In s few swift movements, he swung the door open, walked outside, and shut it behind him.

_Phew! That was close! I don't think they'd have been too happy if they knew I was eavesdropping. …Not that I _was_ eavesdropping. I was just…in the wrong place at the wrong time. _Apollo looked down the street. _I better go pay a visit to a certain prosecutor…_

* * *

Athena and Trucy were sitting on the red sofa at the agency, chattering away, when a knock came at the door. Their visitor was none other than…

"Hey partners in matchmaking! I'm not late, am I?"

"Kay! No, you're right on time! Come and have a seat here!" Athena patted the spot next to her, and Kay bounded over, sitting down.

Kay jumped right to the matter at hand. "Sooo…don't keep me waiting! What's this thing I heard about matchmaking?!" She looked at Trucy then Athena, eager to learn the details.

The two teens relayed to Kay the request Prosecutor Gavin made to them about getting him and Ema together as a couple, and how he had admitted his affections for the detective.

Kay was hooked to the idea of pairing Ema and Klavier together. "Those two…I can just see them now! They'd make an awesome couple! Alright! I'm in! What do you need me to do?"

"I remember that you once said you knew Ema, Kay, so we thought maybe you could tell us a little more about her."

"About Ema, huh?" Kay shut her eyes and crossed her arms, her lips curling down into a frown.

Trucy and Athena exchanged glances. The young prosecutor's posture reminded them of a certain serious prosecutor who would be the subject of their upcoming conversation.

Kay opened her eyes, ready to respond. "Ema's pretty cool. I haven't talked to her recently as much as I used to, but from what I noticed, she's gotten a lot grumpier, probably because she didn't become a forensic scientist, and she really loves snackoos."

"That's…pretty much all we know about her too." Athena was dissatisfied. She had expected Kay to know more about the detective, but it turned out she only knew as much as they did.

"She really changed from how she was way back when. She was always smiling, perky, and she wore a lot more stuff. She had these cute buttons and badges. Oh! And a cute pink hat too!" Kay paused before adding, "She did wear a lab coat back then, now that I think about it, along with her special glasses. And she _loved_ science, just as much as she does now!"

"Wow. I can't really picture Ema as being anything other grumpy," Trucy mused aloud.

"Wait. So the lab coat wasn't a new thing for her? I thought she only started wearing that thing when she got hired at the precinct." Athena was surprised to hear that.

"Oh, it wasn't a new thing at all. She'd never go anywhere without wearing it!"

Athena nodded, thinking about the little information they had. "I…guess that's something to go off of." She tapped her moon rock earring, eyes directed at the ceiling. "Which means we've got our work cut out for us."

Trucy clenched her fists, leaning a little closer to the other two. "I think the first thing we should do is find out what Ema's idea of a perfect guy is. Like, what's her type?"

"Think we should do another personality test?" Athena asked.

"Mm…maybe not. Ema might suspect what we're up to." Kay frowned. "Or better yet, she might have found out about what we did with Mr. Edgeworth and the personality test." Wiping the frown off her face, Kay smiled, adjusting her brown gloves. "You two leave Ema to me!"

"Really?!"

"Oh yeah! The two of us? We go waaay back! Eight years to be more precise! I'm sure I can get this stuff out of her, easy!"

"That would be nice if _you_ went to talk to Ema. I was actually going to do that, but…I've been known to…annoy her, sometimes." Trucy had been fortunate enough to not have a snackoo thrown at her, but she did have a few close calls.

"And after that little dating act I pulled off with Prosecutor Gavin, I don't think Ema's very fond of me."

Kay was intrigued and wanted to hear more about this 'little dating act' Athena mentioned, but she knew they had work to do. "Like I said, I'll take care of Ema." She placed her hands on her legs. "So was that all?"

"No actually. We've got another relationship to set into motion!"

"Oh? You've caught my interest, Athena. Who is it?!"

"Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Courtney!" Trucy chimed.

Kay was shocked at the match. "Mr. Edgeworth…and Judge Courtney?" She became pensive again. "Hm…I guess they wouldn't be such a bad pair together."

Athena was hoping for a more enthusiastic response from Kay, as was Trucy. "Do you think they wouldn't be good together?"

"Hm? No, no. I don't think that. I mean, they've been through…a decent bit together. Judge Courtney is a member of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, or the PIC. She was assessing Mr. Edgeworth's performance as a prosecutor and threatened to take away his prosecutor's badge."

Athena and Trucy gasped. "That's terrible!"

"But she didn't. It turns out she was investigating one of the other members of the PIC and trying to take him down. She did, with Mr. Edgeworth's help, naturally." She grinned proudly, rubbing her nose. "I guess you could say I helped too!"

"Wow Kay! You'll have to tell us about that someday."

"Why wait someday when we can do it now, Trucy!" Kay went into storyteller mode as she reminisced on the events that took place so many years ago. She waited towards the end to tell them about a certain someone.

"Hey…do you guys know John Marsh?"

"John Marsh?!" Trucy squealed. "He's one of the coolest actors around! I heard he has a part in the future Steel Samurai movie! He's amazing! I'm a huge fan!"

"I've heard of him too. But…what does he have to do with all of this?" Athena wasn't aware of how he fit into the picture.

"Why, he's Judge Courtney's son!"

"Her…"

"SON?!" Athena exclaimed. "But…I thought she was…"

"Her adopted son, not her real son. He's her cousin's son, but she raised him as her own."

"Wow. That's cool! But wait." Athena could see a potential conflict. "How well does Mr. Edgeworth get along with him…or rather, did get along with him?"

Kay grimaced. "John was pretty arrogant and bratty too, but he really loves Judge Courtney a lot. He and Mr. Edgeworth…they got along…mm…not great, but Mr. Edgeworth understood where John was coming from, so he was for the most part tolerant of the kid."

"Hm…well, then maybe we shouldn't worry too much about it, huh?" Athena thought aloud. "We should see how well Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Courtney get along outside of the legal world. Then we can take things from there."

"…Yeah. That sounds good. It can't hurt to try." Kay wasn't as excited about the idea, but nevertheless, she was willing to get involved and see how things played out.

Trucy was ecstatic. They were making some serious headway. "This is awesome! So. Once we learn more about Ema, here's what I was thinking we could do. I have a magic show coming up in a few weeks, and you'll both be there, right?" Kay and Athena confirmed this. "Well, I thought why not invite Mr. Edgeworth, Ms. Courtney, Mr. Gavin and Ema to the show? That way, we can see how Mr. Edgeworth interacts with Ms. Courtney, and for Ema and Mr. Gavin, I have a special plan in mind for them."

Kay and Athena huddled in closer to Trucy as she told the specifics of her idea and soon, the trio was giggling, already thinking about the upcoming magic show and their matchmaking plans.

* * *

At the Prosecutor's Office…

Apollo knocked on the door. From inside, a voice called out, "Come in!" Apollo walked inside the office. "Ah, Herr Forehead. I didn't expect you to be the one visiting me." Klavier put down his papers and made his way over to Apollo. "How can I help you today?"

"I don't need any help, Prosecutor Gavin. Can't a guy just drop by for a visit?"

"Herr Forehead. You never come to my office to 'drop by for a visit.' You must have some purpose for coming here. Now please, feel free to tell me what brings you here to my lovely office."

_Lovely? More like messy. I forgot how untidy his office was. And Mr. Wright says _my _desk_ _looks awful. He needs to come see this garbage dump!_

"Herr Forehead. As much as I'd love to continue this nice staring constant, I really do have some work I could be doing at this time."

"Oh right! Sorry. I wanted to know…you see…if you…" Apollo wasn't sure how to go about asking him.

"If I what? Don't be shy now. We're all friends here."

_There are only two of us here, but I guess it's good to know he considers me a friend. _"You're having Trucy and Athena help you win Ema's heart?"

Klavier frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "Who told you that?!"

"I…er…well…that is…"

For a few more seconds, Klavier continued to stare down a floundering Apollo. He had specifically requested that the Frauleins _not_ tell anyone about his problem (except Kay, who the girls had informed him would be a great help), and he trusted them. The only way Apollo could've found out was… He had a knowing smile on his face as he inquired, "You eavesdropped on them, didn't you Herr Forehead? That isn't a very nice thing to do."

"Hey! It wasn't my fault that those two talk kinda loud!"

"Hm…would you tell that to either of them?"

_Not if I want to get yelled at, beat up, or both. _"…I never said that. Anyway, you're avoiding the subject. Did you _really_ hire Athena and Trucy to set you up with Ema?"

"You find that to be a shock, Herr Forehead, and I'm not sure why. Do you doubt the fact that I am quite fond of Fraulein Detective?"

"It's not that. That was obvious."

"How so?" Klavier was trying to throw Apollo off track, but the attorney knew that.

"That isn't important." _Anyone who sees the two of you interacting can clearly see that sparkle in your eye when she argues with you and that indulgent smile. People would have to be blind not to see you like her…well, with the exception of Ema herself though. _ "I just can't believe you hired those two, of all people, to get you with Ema."

The prosecutor described his reasoning. "But they're your coworkers at the agency, one of them being your sister, and I have an established relationship with both. Who else would I go to?"

Apollo understood where Klavier was coming from, but he also knew that the prosecutor did not know Athena and Trucy like he did. Oh no. Not at all. _He clearly has no idea of what those two were capable of._

"Prosecutor Gavin," he began, making sure to put emphasis on each word. "Listen to me. I'm telling you this because I genuinely care. Don't let them interfere in your love life. They will ruin what little chance you have with Ema."

Klavier's blonde eyebrows popped up. "Little chance?"

Apollo leaned back, mouth twisting into a grimace. "I...er…worded that wrong." _Yeah right. Does he _not_ know how she feels about him?! She hates his guts! _"Trust me. They have good intentions in mind, they do. But their honest desire to help doesn't exactly translate in the results they bring up. Correction: it doesn't translate _well._" _And that's putting it nicely. _

"I...appreciate your concern, Herr Forehead; however, perhaps this will be the moment when the Frauleins come out victorious and succeed. I have faith in them." Klavier crossed his arms. "I'll get together with Fraulein Detective. You'll see."

"Heh. The day that happens will be the day I cut my two bangs off," Apollo mumbled, not intending to be heard. He had his doubts.

"Oh really? Hm...it would be a good change for you, Herr Forehead, although," Klavier paused, leaning back to examine Apollo's face. "Now that I imagine it, it'd be a shame, actually."

"A…shame?" _Was that a compliment? _Rubbing the back of his head, Apollo chuckled. "You know I wasn't ser-"

"Why, of course! When I embarrass you in court, without your horn-like hair falling down limply in front it, everyone in that courtroom will never get a break from seeing your large forehead."

Apollo's expression changed from pleased to deadpan. _…And here I thought he was being complimenting me. _He then puffed up. "Hey! That was low, and for the record, I would never cut my beloved bangs! I worked too hard to grow these babies out like this! Besides," Apollo crossed his arms, a smirk tugging at his lips. "At least _I _had a girlfriend who likes me, huge forehead and all!"

"Oh, now _that's_ low, Herr Forehead. Gloating to me about your romantic life." Klavier then reran what Apollo just said in his mind. "Did you just say 'had?' What happened between you and Fraulein Woods?"

"Oh? That…" Apollo frowned, turning away a little. "We…we sort…broke up."

"You…'sort of' broke up? Why?"

"Well, we've been dating for a while, and at first, we…we were pretty happy together, but…we couldn't really get ourselves to the point where we could say we loved each other." Apollo felt the need to explain the situation to Klavier, since he hadn't really told anyone else of what happened.

"I respect Juniper, I really do. She's a great person, but recently…I couldn't help but begin to doubt whether or not we could really have a good, long-term romantic relationship with each other. I mean, I liked her, but I wasn't sure if I went as far as _loving_ her. It's been bothering me for a little while now, but…I tried to put on a brave face, especially in front of Athena, since she'd probably kill me for thinking that way. I didn't know how to approach Juniper about it. I mean, I almost wrote a letter to her, explaining how I felt. Eventually, I went and…talked to Juniper herself about it. I had to tell her the truth."

"How did she react?"

"She…was upset at first." He could remember. It was outside, in her grandmother's garden. For a while, she was completely silent, as was he. It was becoming pretty awkward, until she spoke up. "But it turned out I wasn't the only one with doubts. She admitted to me that she was starting to question her feelings, and that she was sort of having certain...feelings for one of her fellow classmates. You know Hugh O'Connor, right? She said she wasn't too sure how she felt about him."

Apollo crossed his arms. "It's understandable that she might develop feelings for him. They've been friends for a long time, so I wasn't surprised when she told me that. She did have a crush on me, but that crush kind of faded. The same thing happened with me. It happens." Apollo shrugged. "We both realized that…maybe we'd be better off as friends. She says she holds a deep respect for me, and I believe her."

"So…you're no longer dating?"

Apollo shook his head. "We aren't."

"Are you upset?"

"…I was. A little, but soon I realized that she felt the same, it was mutual. I would've felt awful if she still had strong feelings for me. But we both talked it through, and there are no hard feelings." Apollo smiled. "We're best friends now who care deeply about each other, but our relationship is platonic."

Klavier was shocked. He hadn't expected the two of them to break up, but at least it was graceful. He then ended their tangent. They'd gone off-topic. "Well Herr Forehead. You still shouldn't have bragged about your former relationship. Not very nice, ja?"

"Hey, I'm just stating the facts. And it isn't my fault your romantic life is severely lacking." Apollo saw Klavier roll his eyes at the insult. The attorney's smirk disappeared and in its place was a serious frown. "But in all seriousness Prosecutor Gavin, if you need someone to help you out, let me know."

"Help me out? I don't believe I know what you mean."

"You know? Advice…about girls?"

His initial response was a hearty laugh. Apollo watched as Klavier held his abdomen while laughing. _You don't need to laugh so obnoxiously. _

Upon recovering, the prosecutor spoke. "Herr Forehead. Did you forget who you're speaking to?! I'm Klavier Gavin, former lead singer and first guitar player for the Gavinners! I used to be constantly hounded by Frauleins! Why would I need advice about them, and from you, no less?"

_I think the better question to ask here is why am I even offering this guy my words of wisdom? _That didn't stop Apollo from getting his point across. "Because not all girls are screaming fan girls, Prosecutor Gavin. Think about it: all those girls you were surrounded by. Just how much did you interact with them?"

"Interact with them?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure, you signed autographs for them and posed in pictures with them, maybe even met some of them backstage at your concerts. But have you honestly tried to get to _know_ them? Not as obsessed fans of the Gavinners, but as people, as human beings with wishes, desires, problems, strengths, weaknesses, all of that?"

Klavier stood there, pondering what his courtroom rival had just explained. To him, girls were always just fawning over him, asking for pictures, signatures, a few lines from one of the songs. But in essence, they were a whole bunch of faces in a crowd. He couldn't remember the name of a single fan he'd ever met (except for Trucy, but she was a special case).

He stared at the defense attorney for a moment. Of course, Apollo wasn't nearly as famous as Klavier was, but now that the prosecutor thought of it, Apollo _did _hang out with a few girls, especially those who weren't fawning over him, save for Juniper, although she never fawned over Apollo like the fan girls did to Klavier.

_Given his silence, I'd take it that he didn't think of them that way. Not that I'm surprised. He always did seem to dismiss the fan girls as if they were no big deal. _"You should try getting to know Ema better, as a person. Because right now, the few things you probably know about her is that she's way too moody, is fixated with snackoos almost as much as she is with science, and how her dream was to become a forensic scientist for the police department. And while that is a good start, that's not enough. You need to learn a lot more about her."

Apollo made a good argument, but Klavier countered it. "Herr Forehead…I'm lucky Fraulein Detective even speaks to me, and that's because we've been paired with each other for investigations and work. How would I get to know her better?"

"Well, that's why you hired the girls, right? I'm sure they can figure something out for you, especially since you've got so much confidence in them."

The tune for _The Guitar's Serenade_ emanated from Apollo's pocket. "Excuse me?...Yeah? Oh, hey…" Apollo pulled his cellphone half a foot away from his ear. From it, Klavier could hear a voice yelling and although it wasn't too clear, two words could be distinguished: clean and toilet.

Once the noise ceased, Apollo brought the phone back to his ear. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll make sure to get on it as soon as I get back to the agency, and no, I wasn't trying to get out of it. Bye Athena." He shut off the phone and turned to see a smirking Klavier.

"You better be on your way, Herr Forehead. That toilet won't clean itself up."

"I wish it did," Apollo muttered. "But seriously, Prosecutor Gavin. Remember what I said, okay?"

"Sure…I'll keep it in the back of my mind."

Apollo stood there, as did Klavier. "Er…weren't you going to be leaving now?"

"What? No, 'thanks Apollo! That was nice of you to give me that advice?'" Klavier just shrugged. Shaking his head, Apollo headed to the door, opened it, and took a step outside the office. "You know…this is usually the part where you call my name to stop me in my tracks so that you can sincerely thank me."

"Heh, heh. That only happens on TV and the movies, Herr Forehead. Now move along. You have serious work to do, as do I. Auf wiedersehen!" Klavier shooed him.

_Ha, ha. Funny. But he's right. I do have work to do…definitely not serious though…unless of course Mr. Wright finds out I've been slacking. Then it _will_ be serious. _At that thought, Apollo rushed over to the elevator.

**Apollo, don't underestimate the girls. They could very well succeed, and if Athena finds out from Klavier about what you said you'd do, she'd make sure you went through with it! Will Klavier take Apollo's advice, or will his ego get the better of him? Please do leave me a review and/or feel free to private message me! I usually respond in a timely manner! Thanks!**

* * *

**Please note: The following paragraph is an extended author's note. It's not necessary that you read it, but if you do, that'd be nice.**

**I did the thing! Juniepollo has ended their romantic relationship and become friends. It kind of killed me to do this, but then I considered that people can and do fall out of love gracefully (and I don't remember establishing the fact that they might declared or thought in their heads that they loved each other). I love those two together, but I feel that…I wanted change things up a bit. (I do plan on writing fluffy, mini-fics for this ship though.) I hope this will work out well for the future of the story. And speaking of the story…**

**This story is probably not going to be as long as the others I've written. I'm kind of trying to get it done soon, especially since I'll be back in college pretty soon and won't have much time to work on it. Honestly, this is probably going to be more of some random moments with the different characters than an actual flowing story, per se. I mean, it will flow, but it's not as…serious a story. It's more relaxed, I guess is what I mean. I came to the discouraging realization that I wanted to write a better story about one month before I had to start thinking about college again, and I'm afraid that the quality of this story might be compromised because of that. Nonetheless, I always try put in my best effort into the words I write, and I hope that's been coming through (if not, I apologize).**


	11. Turnabout Preferences

**This is a relatively shorter chapter than the others, and probably not as funny, but not serious either. That's all I have to say about it, really. So to make up for this chapter's lack of being good, I'll be posting chapter 10. I kind of want to get things moving along, especially because I'll be back in college in a few weeks and won't have as much time to devote to the story. **

**************__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 9 – Turnabout Preferences**

"E-ma!"

Ema Skye glanced up from her book, _Scientific Investigation._ "Kay. Hi." She set the book down. "How can I help you today?"

"Oh, I didn't come here for help!" _Although you can 'help' me by telling me what type of guy you'd fall for. _

"Oh then…what are you…doing here?" Ema asked slowly. She had nothing against Kay and liked her as much as she did when she was younger, but she had changed. She made sure to be as civil with her as she could. "And have a seat."

"Don't mind if I do!" Kay's eyes lingered on the desk. _Whoa. Looks like she isn't very organized, but I guess that means she does work hard. Is there anything here I might steal, not that I actually would. Because that's wrong. Although the thought is kind of tempting…_

"Um…Kay? Is everything alright?"

"Hm?" Kay lifted her eyes from the desk to Ema, only to let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I'm okay!" _I need to stay focused! _"How are you, Ema?"

"Me? I…well, I'm alright, thanks. How about you?"

"I'm doing well too! Anything exciting going on with you lately?"

"Exciting?" Ema snorted. "If you consider investigating crime scenes as a detective and having to work with stupid fops exciting, then sure, yeah. It's…exciting."

_Uh oh. I haven't been in here for two minutes, and she's already brought up the fop, I mean Prosecutor Gavin. _

"Well, speaking of guys…"

"We weren't speaking of guys."

"Well, now that you brought it up, let's have a little chat about them, hm? Just between the two of us?"

Ema could tell she wasn't going to like where this 'little chat' was going, but she decided to play along. After all, she considered Kay to be a friend, and she didn't want to be rude to her. "Alright then."

"Awesome! So Ema, I was kind of curious. What kind of guy would you like to date?"

Ema's eyes widened, and she backed up a little. "Wh-what?! Why are you asking me a question like that?!"

"I'm curious, Ema! I want to know!"

Ema considered other reasons why Kay would make such an inquiry. "You're…not trying to pair me up with someone, are you?"

"Me? Pair _you_ up with someone?! No way!" Kay laughed. _She saw right through it! I've got to make sure she doesn't suspect a thing!_ "I just wanted to know what your ideal romantic partner would be."

"Hm…" Ema tugged at a lock of her hair, looking away.

_Ack! She's suspicious! I need to figure out how to convince her to tell me. Think, Kay!...Aha! _

Grinning, Kay spoke up. "Isn't it important in science to ask questions?" She noticed how Ema's eyes lit up at the word "science."

The detective tried to feign nonchalance, idly shifting a few papers on her desk. "I'm listening."

"Well, that was a question that's been bothering me for a while, and usually, when you have questions, you're supposed to seek out the answers to them, right?" Ema nodded, still looking at her desk. "Well, isn't that enough of a reason to give me an answer?"

Ema shook her head, glancing up at the prosecutor. "Sorry Kay. I don't think that's good enough."

_Why do you have to make this hard on me?!_ Kay almost pouted, but then slammed her hands on the desk, surprising Ema, and to an extent, herself. _I have to remember I'm not in the courtroom. _

Clearing her throat and leaning back, Kay took a deep breath in. "Ema. It's because of people asking questions and seeking their answers that we've gotten this far in the world! For example, if Mr. Edgeworth never asked questions while investigating, he'd never find out the truth and punish the criminals."

"That doesn't have to do with science though."

"But without asking questions, Ema, how would science even exist?! Isn't science all about asking questions and investigating so that you can find answers to those questions?! All of the discoveries made in science would never have been made without some asking a question! I would think that as a scientist yourself, you would support my endeavor to ask questions for which I want to find the answers…" Kay rambled on, until Ema couldn't take it.

"Alright, alright! Fine! I'm convinced! I'll answer your question!"

_Ha ha! It worked! I am so good! Or…I just annoyed her to the point that she has no other choice _but_ to answer. Either way's fine with me! _Kay nodded and leaned in closer. "Cool! I'm all ears!"

"My ideal romantic partner, huh?" Ema sat back in her chair, contemplating the question. "He should be serious most of the time, but have a soft side. He should be smart, and have an appreciation towards science. That's a definite must. He shouldn't be _too_ critical, but I can handle that, if need be." She frowned, unsure of what else to say.

_Hm…I guess that's a start. _"What should he look like?"

"Look like? Well, I don't have much of a preference for eye color or hair color, as long as they aren't unnatural, like say, purple hair or something." She stopped. "Actually, if you forced me to choose, I'd say…black hair and gray eyes. That would be a nice quality. Basically, he should be somewhat handsome, but I'm not picky about that. Their personality is what I'd be more concerned with."

_Okay…still something, but not enough. Maybe I should try a different approach. _"Er…what kind of guys would you not date?"

Ema almost snarled. "Guys who think of themselves as being the best and act all pompous when in fact they aren't. If they wear jewelry that reflects light into my eyes, thereby temporarily blinding me, then I'm not interested. Guys who date girls who aren't very confident about themselves, only to leave them for another girl." Ema went on with the list, her voice sounding increasingly bitter.

_Oh boy. Well…at least we could probably convince Prosecutor Gavin to ease up on the jewelry. As for his ego…that'll take some major work. And I highly doubt he would do something like that to a girl… _Kay went back to listening to Ema, who seemed to be done. _Finally. I-_

"Basically, I don't date guys who are or were rock stars, like the glimmerous fop, anymore."

_And she just had to mention him specifically, didn't she? How are we supposed to…Wait a second. That last statement…I need to press her on it!_

"Um…Ema? What did you mean when you said 'anymore?'"

Kay watched as Ema's eyes darted around, desperately trying to find an excuse for the slip-up. "Erm…um…" The detective's eyes fell on an open bag of snackoos. She quickly grabbed it and started munching on some. In between bites, she replied, "It's *MUNCH* none of your *MUNCH* business."

_She's hiding something. I just know it! _"Come on, Ema. You can tell me! We're buddies, right?" Kay egged her on.

*MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH*

"Ema? Don't ignore me!" Kay whined.

*MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH, MUNCH*

_Uh oh. She's eating even faster now. I know what that means. If I don't leave soon, she'll definitely snackoo me!_

Kay got up to her feet. "You know? I actually have to get back to the office and…clean my desk! That's right! So I'll see you some other time, Ema! Thanks for talking to me!"

With that, Kay rushed out of the office. She sighed dejectedly, her head down. _This is going to be even _harder _than we thought it would. _She then stood up straight. _No! I've got to snap out of it! We can do this! We can get them together! _She marched off out of the precinct. _…I hope. _

**Kind of a random chapter. You know, I was kind of wondering what kind of guy Ema would like, and this is just my idea of that. It's probably not accurate, but hey, at least she did answer the question. I wonder what she's hiding…**


	12. Turnabout Fan girls and boy

**I hope you guys like the story so far! Some of you seem to, but the rest, I'm not sure. I like to know what you, the readers, think. Is it good, it is bad, does it need work (I bet it's that last one)? Are my characterizations lacking, inaccurate, etc.? I'm 100% open to constructive criticism and welcome it with open arms, and you can be brutal. I've handled brutal before (although I'd appreciate it if there were no downright flames).**

**************__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 10 – Turnabout Fan girls and boy**

Edgeworth found himself standing at the front of the Wright Anything Agency. He hadn't visited the office in a while. He was trying to go out and be a bit more sociable, especially after having reprimanded so many people in his bitter mood a couple of weeks ago.

He entered the agency's waiting room after knocking three times. _It would seem that they have another visitor here. _

The figure turned around upon hearing the door open. "Oh. Ms. Sterling. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

She nodded her head, a smile on her face. "Hello Mr. Edgeworth. I just came to return something to Maya."

Maya ran into the room before gasping. "Hey! Mr. Edgeworth! I didn't expect to see you! What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I would come by and visit."

Maya held her hands in front of her and bowed. "Thank you for coming! It's nice to see you going out more!" She frowned. "I heard about what…happened with…you know. I'm sorry for your loss."

The Chief Prosecutor had an annoyed look pass across his features. "It's in the past now. No point in grieving over it."

"Of course you would say that, Mr. Edgeworth. Always so aloof." She turned to Serena. "I can't believe you watched the whole second season in one day! That's almost as much as I can watch! You really like it, don't you? I mean, of course you do! Who _doesn't_ love the Steel Samurai?! Oh well, I guess Nick isn't a huge fan, but that's because he's just a grumpy old man."

_Steel…Samurai? _This caught his interest. The prosecutor glanced over at the doctor. "You…watch the Steel Samurai, Ms. Sterling?"

She scratched her forehead, brushing a couple of strands of hair behind her ear, an embarrassed smile on her face. "Er…I just…watched it to see what all of the hubbub was about, that's all. You know, keeping up with society."

"Yeah, that's what you said when you saw the first episode!" Maya intervened. She then spoke to Edgeworth. "She finished the whole second season last night, Mr. Edgeworth! She borrowed it from me yesterday afternoon!" Maya recalled how that day went. The doctor had come in to check in on how everyone was doing.

* * *

One week ago…

_Serena and Iris were talking to each other when Maya came in with her Steel Samurai DVD. _

"_Hey Iris! You want to watch the Steel Samurai with me?" She waved the DVD around. _

"_Oh, I can't, Maya. I'm sorry. I have to head down to the university today." With that, Iris left the agency. _

"_How about you? You want to watch the Steel Samurai with me? It's the one hour special!" Maya didn't know Serena that well, but she was willing to watch with pretty much anyone who was willing to accompany her._

"_Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I don't really have much time to watch it right now. Besides, I haven't even watched the first episode."_

"_Oh...but you have seen the Steel Samurai before, right? Wait. Dumb question. Of course you have!" _

_"Well, I've heard of the show, but I've never watched it before." Serena noticed that Phoenix, who had come out of his office, was waving his hands and shaking his head frantically behind Maya before she answered the question. She couldn't understand what the message was that he was trying to convey._

The doctor was not prepared for Maya's outrageous reaction. The Master of Kurain gaped at her, eyes bulging out from their sockets. "WHAAAAAAT?! You've

never_ seen the Steel Samurai?! What planet do you live on? Pluto?!"_

Serena took a step back at hearing Maya holler at her. She blinked a few times. "Well, technically, Pluto's not a pl-"

"Here!" Maya grabbed a DVD and shoved it into Serena's hand. "This has the first Steel Samurai season on it. You

have_ to watch it and tell me what you think!"_

"Maya. Don't force it on her."

"No, no! She has to watch it, Nick, and see what she's missing out on! For you not to have seen an episode of the Steel Samurai…that is an injustice of epic proportions, practically a crime! And as a devoted Steel Samurai fan, I must fix it!"

"Maya. If she doesn't want to watch, she doesn't have to! I don't blame her. It's just an overrated kid's sho-"

"She only needs to watch one episode, and she'll be hooked! And The Steel Samurai is not an overrated kid's show, Nick! It's..."

The two of them went all out in an argument as the doctor just watched them, unable to interfere.

The argument had escalated in a matter of minutes. "Like seriously! One day, that movie poster is going to go bye-bye, and I'm going to put that Steel Samurai poster in its place! It should've been there a long time ago!"

"You do that, and I'll never let you step foot in this office again!"

"Hey! This place used to be my sister's.

My_ sister, Mia _Fey_, meaning I, Maya _Fey_, her _younger sister_, can do whatever I want here!"_

"Go outside and read the sign above the building. It's called the Wright Anything Agency!

Wright_, as in Phoenix _Wright_, the owner. Me!" Phoenix jabbed a finger into his chest, ignoring the pain._

"Um...Mr. Wright? Maya?"

"What?!" They snapped at her.

"I...think I could find some time to watch this," Serena offered, eyeing the tape before smiling weakly. "Thanks Maya."

Maya instantly brightened. "Oh don't thank me now. Thank me after you watch it and become a major fan girl like me!" She turned to Phoenix, smiling victoriously. "Ha! See? I convinced her!"

* * *

The spirit medium finished the story in a matter of minutes. Serena was turning bright red. Rubbing her arm, she knew she had to come up with some kind of justification for having watched the entire second season in one day. "You see…I didn't have work yesterday, and I was suffering from a bout of insomnia, so…I just figured I could watch some of the episodes, is all."

"Aw, come on! You can admit you like it, Serena! Mr. Edgeworth here _loves_ the Steel Samurai. Don't you?"

"You…do?"

Both women had his eyes on him, one pair surprised and the other teasing. Now it was his turn to be almost flustered. Almost. He was able to maintain an air of nonchalance though, not that that was difficult for him. "I never said I loved it. I've just heard that it was a good show…with high production values…and may have happened to have watched an episode or two. For the very same reason Ms. Sterling cited. To see what the…hubbub…was all about."

Maya was not convinced. "Mmhm. Whatever you say, Mr. Edgeworth. Because that totally explains why you still have that Steel Samurai figurine from Ms. Oldbag in your office after all these years."

_Ngh…Everyone just has to bring that up, don't they? _"Well, it would be downright rude if I was to get rid of such a nice gift, despite who may have been its sender." _Or what her intentions were. _

"Oh really? So what about when you asked Mr. Powers for his autograph? Or how you were star struck when you met the Steel Samurai and got an autograph from him, only to find out that it was actually Larry, and you became totally ups-"

"You know? I really should be going. I have much work to get done at the office. Good day, both of you." With that, he left the office in a rush. _Just how did she find out about…Larry. Of course it was him. Hmph. That's the last time I'll ever drop by for a visit. _

Maya stared at the door before continuing the conversation with Serena. "That's Mr. Edgeworth for you. He'll never openly admit that he likes the Steel Samurai. I'm pretty sure he's a rabid fan boy though, especially with what I've heard from Detective Gumshoe."

Serena just laughed politely. "Well, I certainly don't blame him for wanting to hide that. We've all got our guilty pleasures, don't we?"

Maya quirked an eyebrow, an impish smile appearing on her face. "Is that so? Well then." She leaned closer. "What's _your_ guilty pleasure?"

"Oh goodness! Look at the time! I need to go to the ER! See you later, Maya! And thanks for letting me borrow your tapes!"

Maya watched as the woman vacated the office. _Hm… _She thought about the prosecutor who had left. _Hmmm…_ Then Serena came into mind next. _Hmmmmm…Something's start to cook in my brain. Something good. Like burgers… _"Oh! I better ask Nick if we can have burgers for lunch! Maybe some steak for dinner! _And_ some delicious cake and ice cream for dessert. Mmm! My stomachs are going to be so happy!"

**Honestly, I wrote this chapter just to address Edgeworth being a fan of the Steel Samurai. (I personally don't think he's a rabid fan boy, but I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a fan at all. That's canon.) Feel free to leave a review or private message me! The next chapter will be the magic show!**


	13. Turnabout Magic Show

**So I was really excited to write this chapter, only to find that I couldn't come up with anything funny to include in it (getting hit in the head by writer's block didn't help the situation at all). But here it is: Trucy's magic show. I hope this gets at least one smile out one of my dear readers. If it doesn't, I'm so very sorry. I tried, I really did. **

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!_**

**Chapter 11 – Turnabout Magic Show**

"Hey Trucy! Athena!" Kay rushed up to the stage and climbed up on it.

"Kay! You made it right on time! Do you have the name cards?" Athena asked, eager to get to work.

"I sure do!" Kay rummaged through her waist bag and pulled out a whole bunch of index cards. She waved them in the air. "I've got everyone's names here!"

"Awesome! You guys can start setting up the seating arrangement! I have to go backstage and get everything ready for tonight!"

Kay and Athena went about placing the name cards at each of the three round tables at the front of the stage area.

Sitting at the middle table would be Phoenix, Iris, Maya and Pearl. At the table located stage left were Edgeworth, Judge Courtney, Juniper and Kay.

Athena was at the last table on stage right, setting the name cards in their respective places. "Me, Apollo, Prosecutor Gavin..." Athena hesitated with the last one. She slowly lowered the card down to the table. "And Ema." She gulped, hoping that the detective didn't have her favorite snack with her.

"Hey Athena! You done?" Kay bounded over to her.

"Yeah, all done." She clapped her hand together and smiled. "This is going to be great! I can't wait to see how things go with Mr. Gavin, Ema, Judge Courtney, and Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Me neither."

"Guten Tag, Frauleins." They both turned to see the prosecutor heading over to them. "And where might Little Fraulein be?" He searched around for the young magician.

"She's backstage, getting ready for the show," Athena replied. "Are _you_ ready for tonight, Prosecutor Gavin?"

He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling. "Fraulein Cykes. I'm ready for anything!"

_I think it would seriously kill him to get rid of his ego…_ "Right. Well, you may be ready for most things, but Trucy…she'll blow you away. Consider yourself warned."

"Fraulein Cykes, I need no warning; however, I'm excited to see what you Frauleins have planned for tonight." He glanced down at the tables, specifically, the name cards. His eyebrow arched as he smirked. "Name cards?"

Kay shrugged. "It's the only way we could figure out how to get everyone who needs to sit together to…well, sit together."

"And what happens when one of them asks why the rest of the guests don't have assigned seats?" He countered.

Kay and Athena exchanged glances. They hadn't considered that possibility. Kay knew for sure that the first person to point it out would be Edgeworth. "Er…well...you guys are Trucy's special guests! You get preference over everyone else."

"Hm…I suppose that's a good excuse. I only hope everyone else is willing to buy it." The prosecutor found his name card and took a seat.

Crossing her arms, Athena leaned over and whispered to Kay, "His attitude sometimes makes me consider sabotaging any and all chances for him to get Ema. Sometimes."

Kay nodded, copying Athena's posture and frowning. "You're right. He better make sure to tone down that ego of his. Ema doesn't like a guy with an ego."

"You'd think he _would_ tone it down after we told him. I guess some things just can't be changed." Athena sighed. "But we did promise to help him, and…even though he can be a real fop, at least he's got a good heart on the inside."

Kay agreed. "Mmhm. That's the only reason why I'm helping him. He's a nice guy…when he wants to be…for the most part. I also want Ema to be happy, especially since she doesn't seem to be very happy right now."

"Yeah. Hopefully we can get her to see his good side and then fall for him," Athena replied, and they both stared at Klavier.

* * *

The Wonder Bar was getting crowded with spectators ready to be amazed by what the Ace Magician had in store for them. Amongst the viewers was the group of people whose names were printed on name cards. Some of them didn't seem to mind the place cards, while others had raised eyebrows and questioning looks in their eyes. Luckily for Athena and Kay, no one had asked any questions. Yet.

"And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for…here she is. The wonderful, the talented, the one-of-a-kind, the absolutely adorable Ace Magician: Truuucy Wright!"

The crowd roared with applause as the curtains opened, only for the noise to die out instantly. The magician was nowhere to be seen on the stage.

There were many murmurs going through the bar as time ticked on, but the young girl had yet to make her usual grand entrance.

"Where is Ms. Wright?" Judge Courtney whispered to Juniper, feeling concerned.

"I don't know. Usually she's on stage by now," the judge-in-training replied anxiously.

"Do you know, Mr. Edgeworth?" Kay questioned, aware of the fact that he had been to a number of Trucy's magic shows before.

"Hmph. There's no need to worry. She'll probably pop up unexpectedly somewhere in the room, taking all of us completely by surprise." Despite saying that, the Chief Prosecutor did feel just a tad bit anxious himself, especially when he glanced over at Phoenix. The defense attorney's eyes were roaming around the bar, in search of the magician. Trucy was a smart girl who could defend herself, but one never knew for sure what could happen.

"Aw! Was it really that obvious?!"

"Ack!" Edgeworth jerked away from the voice. "Good grief, Trucy!" There she was, standing right between him and Judge Courtney, a cheeky smile on her face and dressed in her magician's outfit. Justine held a hand to her chest, clearly shocked. The crowd once more burst into applause.

"Heh heh! Sorry Mr. Edgeworth! But hey! You were right! I hope you enjoy the rest of the show! I promise not to give you a heart attack." She said to him before heading up to the stage, her cape gliding behind her.

_I hope she intends to keep that promise…_

"Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone! It's so nice to see your bright and smiling faces tonight…well, most of you have smiling faces. Some of you seem to be holding yourselves back. Well! I'll make sure that by the end of this show, you'll be leaving here with your biggest smile!" She winked at Edgeworth, who didn't react to the gesture.

She started off with a few normal tricks she often performed at her shows, but as always, she provoked captivated "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Mr. Hat made an appearance, cracking a few jokes that had most of the onlookers laughing openheartedly.

A half hour went by, and soon there was a little break. Chatter filled the bar as the groups of people went into to discussion, most of them raving about the show so far and recalling certain tricks she'd performed.

"Oh my. Ms. Wright is quite a performer, isn't she?" Justine commented, impressed with the show so far. She had heard many people speak of Trucy's talent, but she'd yet to witness it herself.

Kay nodded. "You sure got that right, Judge Courtney. Trucy's the best magician I know!"

"And just how many magicians do you know, Kay?"

Kay opened her mouth to reply to Edgeworth, only to hold out her gloved fingers. She counted off on them, along with making certain facial expressions, and occasionally shaking her head. Finally, she looked up at him and held up her index finger. "One, which automatically makes her the best! Besides, I highly doubt there are any magicians out there better than our Trucy!"

Edgeworth just nodded again. Not that he had seen any other magicians himself, but he was inclined to agree with Kay. Trucy definitely possessed a special talent for magic, which wasn't a surprise, given that magic ran in her blood.

Meanwhile, Trucy had headed over to the table where Athena, Apollo, Klavier, and Ema were seated. "So! How do you guys like the show so far?" She asked, rocking on her heels.

"Quite the show, Little Fraulein. Quite. The. Show."

"Hmph. That's all you have to say?" Ema crossed her arms. "Scientifically speaking, this is the best show I've seen to date."

"Thank you Ema, Mr. Gavin!" Trucy grinned at them.

Apollo looked to Athena. "What does she mean, 'scientifically speaking?' It's a magic show. What does science have to do with it?"

Athena shrugged. "Honestly, I think she just likes to somehow pop science into the conversation whenever she can." She stood up and approached Trucy.

"Athena? How are things with Mr. Gavin and Ema?"

"Mm…they could be better, but then again, it could be much, much worse. At least they don't seem to mind sitting next to each other."

"Well, that's a step in the right direction!" Trucy replied.

Athena nodded. "Hm…True." _I just hope it won't be one step forward and then two steps back. _"I wonder how Mr. Edgeworth and Judge Courtney are doing."

The two teens looked over to the table where they sat and were relieved to see that the Judge and the Prosecutor were indeed speaking to each other. "Well, they're definitely doing well." Trucy turned to Athena. "So I guess we need to focus more on Ema and Mr. Gavin now!"

"Mmhm. That's right."

"Oh! I better get back on stage! Break's over." Trucy dashed up to the stage again. "Alright ladies and gentlemen! I hope you had a nice little break, because this show isn't over yet. Especially because I haven't even used my beloved…" Reaching behind her back, Trucy pulled out a blue-and-pink colored article. "Magic panties!"

"Did…she just say…magic panties?"

Edgeworth glanced over at the judge, who was taken aback. "Yes, you heard her correctly, Judge Courtney."

Kay noticed that the judge was blushing slightly. "Don't worry. They're just a magical prop, not a piece of clothing, although…I do wonder what would happen if she tried to wear them."

Their attention returned to the magician on stage. "I'm going to make things a little…different today. If anyone's noticed it, I haven't invited anyone from the audience up here to be my assistant yet. Now, I usually ask for volunteers." At that moment, a whole bunch of hands shot up in the air. "Sorry guys! Maybe next time! As I was saying, I _usually_ ask for volunteers, but this time, I decided I want to choose someone out of the audience thus time around."

"Please! Oh please! Pick me! Pick me!"

Trucy tilted her head, smiling weakly. "Maybe another day, Mr. Stickler." Her blue eyes scanned the crowd, until they finally fell on her intended target. "Ah yes. Mr. Gavin. How about you step on up here?"

Klavier, never one to pass up the chance to be on stage, stood and strutted up the steps to go stand next to Trucy. "I'm sure I don't need to introduce this person to all of you, but just in case I do, this is Klavier Gavin: former head singer and first guitar player for the Gavinners, and now a full-time prosecutor! Let's give him a round of applause, shall we?"

Klavier waved to the crowd who showered him with claps. "Thank you, thank you. You're all too kind."

"Great. Just when the show was going so well, the fop has to go up there and ruin it," Ema muttered as she chewed on a snackoo, causing Athena to sigh.

"Mr. Gavin. Would you mind being my lovely assistant for today?"

"Why, Fraulein Magician, I would _love_ to be your assistant. Although, I think being referred to as your _handsome_ assistant is much more fitting than lovely, ja?" He pulled at a lock of his hair.

"If he keeps this up…" Ema began, grasping one of her snackoos in her bag.

"Come on now, Ema. He's just playing the part of an assistant, that's all," Athena coaxed.

"I play the part of Trucy's assistant all of the time, and I-ow!"

Athena forced a smile as she dug the heel of her shoe onto Apollo's foot. "What was that you were saying, Apollo?"

"N-nothing." He kept his mouth shut after that, stretching his now injured foot.

"Now that I have an assistant, let's find out what kind of mystical objects will appear in my magic panties today!"

"Achtung, baby!"

"Achtung indeed." Trucy held out the magic panties. "Mr. Gavin, or should I say, my handsome assistant, how about you reach into them and see what you get, hm?"

Even with his almost carrot-colored skin, everyone could see the blush that spread across Klavier's face.

Apollo and Athena heard muffled snorting nearby. They both glanced up at Ema, who covered her mouth, shaking.

Apollo leaned over to Athena. "She looks like she's about to explode in laughter."

"That's an improvement. I thought for sure she'd just start guffawing," Athena whispered back.

"Heh. Not that I blame her. Prosecutor Gavin does look pretty embarrassed up there."

Athena glared at Apollo before looking back up on stage, where Klavier was struggling.

"Er…well…" He eyed the prop with uncertainty and…fear?

"Come on now! No need to be shy! They won't bite, I promise!" Trucy waved them around in front of Klavier, who only became more flustered.

"Right, yes. Ahem." Klavier extended his right hand towards them. It stopped midway, and shifted forward and backward, as if someone was playing tug of war.

"Mr. Gavin. Everyone's waiting," Trucy whispered, still smiling at the crowd. "Just do it in one, quick motion."

He visibly gulped and nodded slightly.

"He actually looks…"

"Scared," Apollo finished Athena's sentence.

Ema leaned forward in her seat. "I like where this is going so far."

Reluctantly, with his eyes shut, Klavier's hand reached in and pulled out…

"A magician's outfit?" He examined them carefully. It was a cape and a top hat, both the same purple shade as his coat.

"Mmhm! You can't be a proper assistant without the outfit! Just clip the cape on, pop the top hat on your head, and voila! You're now officially a magician's assistant. And see! The cute broach has the Gavinners symbol on it!" Trucy pointed to it.

"Well? How do I look?" Klavier tipped the top hat and winked at no one in particular in the crowd. A couple of longing sighs could be heard in the bar, while a few others whooped. A disgusted groan could be heard coming from the front of the venue.

"Teehee! Looking good, Mr. Gavin! Now I wonder what else you'll manage to get out of my magic panties!"

Klavier, feeling a little more confident now, went to pull out another item. He looked over at Trucy. "Is this what I think it is?" She nodded. "An electric guitar!"

"Teehee! How could I possibly invite you on stage and _not_ have you perform a song for us, Mr. Gavin?"

"I like the way you think, Fraulein Magician."

"Ugh! Does he have to perform?" Ema whined.

"Hey. It's Trucy's show. She decides what happens," Athena said.

"So what song should I sing? Any requests?"

"Guilty Love!"

"Love With No Chance Of Parole!"

"Atroquinine, My Love!"

"Ha ha. So many requests, I have no idea which one to perform!"

"The Steel Samurai theme song!" Maya yelled. "Do the Steel Samurai theme song."

"Are you sure you don't want a Gavinners-" Klavier was cut off by the crowd's chanting.

"Steel Samurai! Steel Samurai! Steel Samurai!"

"Alright, alright! I'll play the Steel Samurai theme song, but I don't know the song lyrics, so I'll need your help, audience. Sing along as I play." He turned to Trucy. "May I?"

She waved her hand. "Take it away!"

He strummed a few chords before beginning to play the song.

"Come on everyone! Let's sing!"

"Go! Go! Keep on fighting, until your last breath! Go, my hero, the Steel Samurai!"

"Come on, Nick! You sing too!" Maya ushered him.

"I'm not going to sing that song."

"But look! Even Pearly and Iris are singing!"

Indeed they were singing, although Phoenix knew it was more out of politeness than a desire to actually sing. _As if it isn't bad enough that I have to hear it every time my cellphone rings, now they expect me to sing it? _He turned to the table where Edgeworth was sitting. Juniper and Justine were nodding their head to the music, and Kay was singing along with everyone else. The attorney smirked. _Edgeworth must be struggling to sit there completely unfazed. The closet fanboy…_

Meanwhile, Edgeworth sat in his seat, expressionless. _I have to say. While I'm not a fan of his rock music, Prosecutor Gavin has done the theme song justice indeed. It's nice to hear this tune again. It's been a while now…_

Two tables away, Apollo was sulking, just like Phoenix, while Athena was invested in singing with everyone else. Even Ema was mouthing the words to the song, tapping her fingers.

Klavier ended the song with a guitar riff, which had the crowd going wild.

"So. How was that, Ema?" Athena leaned forward, waiting for the detective's response.

"You know? It wasn't half bad…" Athena grinned. "But he totally ruined it at the end with that unnecessary riff. The showoff." Gone was Athena's grin.

"She has a point. That was kind of uncalled for," Apollo added.

"Oh hush up, Apollo. You're just jealous because you don't know how to play guitar! You know what they say: music is one way to get to a girl's heart!"

_Do people actually say that, or did she just make it up? I bet she made it up. _Apollo didn't bother to say anything more to her. _Seriously, though? Chords of Steel are much more romantic than electric guitar playing…right? Oh, who am I kidding? I really should've learned to play the guitar! _

"Well, now that my lovely assistant has treated us to a song, how about we continue to discover what fun stuff we can get out the magic panties?"

Many objects appeared out of the prop, including a fishing pole, a bowling ball, Phoenix's cellphone which Klavier returned to the defense attorney, and a mighty Moozilla doll that was presented to Justine.

"Mr. Gavin. I've got another item I want you to pull out, only this time, you've got to give it to someone of your choosing, not someone I point you out to."

Klavier, though confused, still reached in and grabbed another object. "And what do we have here? I believe it's…"

Ema let out a gasp, her hands slamming on the table as she stood. "Golden snackoos?!"

Klavier smirked. "Hm…you said I could give these to anyone. Correct, Fraulein Magician?"

"Correct." Trucy looked to Kay, winking at her before turning to Athena, who had an excited grin on her face. Beside her, Apollo was just staring at Ema, who was still standing.

"Ah well then." Klavier stared at Ema, whose eyes were locked with the sparkling snackoos, desire reflecting in her eyes. "I guess I know who to give these to." Ema's eyes lifted to look at him, a mix of awe and hope in them. "_Not _Fraulein Detective."

"No, stupid! That's not what you were supposed to do!" Kay muttered to herself.

The events that followed happened in a rush. One moment, Ema was at her seat. The next, she rushed on the stage and tackled Klavier to the floor, who was dead set on _not_ giving her the snackoos. At first, there were a whole bunch of gasps, but soon, most of the onlookers were cheering, as they thought this was all a part of the show.

"Give me those snackoos, you fop!"

"Ah, ah, ah! No way, Fraulein Detective."

"Grrr! But. I. Must. Have. Them!"

"All you have to do is ask me nicely. Surely, you're capable of that, Fraulein Detective," he teased.

"Am I capable? Yes. Am I going to? No! Now give me the golden snackoos, and I might not hurt you anymore."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Might?"

"ARGH!" She stood up, grabbed the top hat and began hitting him with it.

"That's not really inflicting much pain on me, you know."

"Oh yeah?!" Ema's eyes searched the stage, and she spotted a potential weapon. She rushed over to the guitar. "I wonder how much pain this might inflict on you, fop!"

"Trucy! Do something!" Athena called out as she saw Ema brandish the guitar, seemingly ready to strike at any moment. Klavier was smirking up at the detective as he was still sprawled across the floor in front of her.

But Trucy didn't need to be told. "Mr. Gavin, Ema: FREEZE!"

The two of them looked up. One of them turned pale, while the other just stared at Trucy with a look of disbelief, which quickly changed into indifference.

"Listen to me very carefully. Ema, please place the guitar on the floor and go back to your seat."

Ema did as she was told, but not before sniping the snackoos from the prosecutor's grasp. "I'll be taking these, thank you very much." She sat back in her seat as though nothing had ever happened.

"Now…Mr. Gavin. Stand up, and put your hands on your head." Klavier shakily got up to his feet, but hesitated in lifting his hands. "Come on now! Don't waste time."

"Little Fraulein…that…that isn't a real…"

"Oh, it's real. If I pull the trigger, it'll fire."

"You must be joking, Little Fraulein." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Mr. Edgeworth! We must stop this show immediately! That young lady has a gun!"

Edgeworth smirked. "Yes, she does indeed have a gun, but why stop the show? She probably won't fire it."

"Probably?!" Justine gave him an incredulous look. "How can you sit here and just watch her aim that gun at him?! There could be bullets in there!"

"Oh yes. I'm sure there are bullets in it."

Kay figured she'd spare the judge. "If Mr. Edgeworth isn't worried, Judge Courtney, you shouldn't be concerned at all."

"So guys! What do you think? Should I pull the trigger on Mr. Gavin?"

Klavier gaped as most of the crowd cheered. "Wh-what?!" He turned to Trucy. "Little Fraulein…you wouldn't."

She shrugged, smiling sadly at him, although he failed to notice the little sparkle in her eye. "But I must. My fans demand it. Mr. Gavin, here comes Bullets!"

"Hey! That's part of my catchphrase!" Apollo exclaimed, only to be silenced by Athena's stern look.

*BANG!*

"MEIN GOTT!" A rush of purple could be seen bolting towards the curtains, out of the range of the gun's shot.

*Meow*

"M-meow?" A mop of blonde hair could be seen peeking from behind the curtains. "Meow?! What kind of bullet makes a meow sound?"

"Not a bullet bullet, Mr. Gavin!" Trucy cradled a furry animal in her arms. "It's a cat!" She walked over to the prosecutor, bent down and held Bullets toward him. "Say hi to Bullets!"

Bullets just licked the prosecutor's nose, while Klavier just stared at it.

"HA HA HA!"

"And there she goes," Apollo stated, as he and Athena glanced across the table at the scientific detective who was clutching her abdomen as she laughed. Soon, the rest of the Wonder Bar joined her, save for Klavier and Edgeworth, although the Chief Prosecutor couldn't resist smirking. Unlike his usual condescending smirks, this one was more amused.

"Hee hee! Well Mr. Gavin. I'm glad you got to meet Bullets! Do you want to hold him?"

"No thank you, Fraulein. I think my time as a magician's assistant is over." He pulled off his cape and handed it to her.

"Don't forget the hat, fop!" Ema threw the top hat, and like a discus, it flew right into Klavier's face and landed on the ground.

He didn't bother to thank her as he bent down to take the hat off the floor.

"Aw! But Mr. Gavin! I had another trick up my sleeve! One last one!" Trucy saw that the prosecutor was about to get off the stage. "Please?! I promise you'll love it!" She turned so her back was to the audience and winked at him. "Give you a chance to redeem yourself for that lack of chivalry and for that embarrassing little moment you had just now."

"Mm…alright. For you, I'll stay, but I'd rather not put the costume back on."

"No problem!" Trucy deposited the hat and cape into her magic panties. "Well everyone. I'm sure you weren't expecting that little cat fight we just witnessed, did you?"

Apollo heard some chuckles throughout the crowd. "I see what she did there, but wasn't that a corny joke?"

"It's Trucy. She doesn't tell corny jokes. You, on the other hand…" Athena didn't finish, as she could tell from his grumpy frown that he knew exactly what she meant.

"Ah! A lovely bouquet of flowers! How nice! Now, Mr. Gavin, I'll do a countdown from three, and when I say one, I want you to snap your fingers, okay?"

"Snapping fingers happens to be a specialty of mine, so yes."

"Alright then. Three…two…one. Tada!"

The bouquet disappeared from his left hand and appeared on one of the tables. Klavier saw who it was sitting in front of. "For you, Fraulein Detective. Please accept those flowers as an apology gift."

Ema scrutinized the flowers. "They're not going to spray water at me, are they?" She poked and prodded them.

"No, they won't."

"Hmph…I guess they'd make my office look a little nicer."

"Aw! Isn't that sweet?! Come on, everyone! You have to admit that brought a smile to your face! Let's give these two a round of applause, huh? And another great round of applause for my handsome assistant, Mr. Gavin!" With that, the show ended. A lot of people went up to the stage to personally congratulate Trucy, and soon, the bar was almost empty, save for the front row of tables.

Justine approached Trucy. "Ms. Wright. That was a wonderful show you presented today. Thank you very much for inviting me."

Trucy giggled. "You're welcome, Ms. Courtney, and thank you! You're always welcome to my shows!"

The judge smiled. "Perhaps next time, I'll bring John with me."

"Oh really? That'd be so cool!"

"I must be going now. It was nice seeing all of you. Goodbye." She nodded her head at Edgeworth. "Mr. Edgeworth. It was nice to see you as well."

"Of course, Judge Courtney. Goodbye."

Athena and Trucy exchanged grins before they walked over to the other table.

"Hey! Where did Ema go?" Trucy asked as she looked around, finding no sign of the detective.

"Ema left as soon as the show was over, Trucy," Apollo answered. "She was muttering something about how disappointed she was that those golden snackoos weren't real."

"Of course they weren't real! No one's invented golden snackoos yet!" Trucy spotted Klavier and motioned for him to come over. "Mr. Gavin! Thank you so much for being a part of the show!"

"No problem, Little Fraulein." Klavier flashed a smile.

The magician placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "But what you did up there on stage was rude, and not to mention totally not what we had in mind!"

"Trucy's right, Prosecutor Gavin!" Athena took over the scolding. "You're supposed to be trying to get Ema to fall for you, not repel her! You're not making our jobs any easier by doing stuff like this, you know!"

"I…I know. It's just…" He grinned, eyes becoming distant. "There's something about Fraulein Detective. When she gets so steamed up, you can see her teal eyes burning with a passionate light!"

"Yeah, a passionate light of strong dislike," Athena mumbled.

At this time, Kay came over to them. "That's all cute and everything, but girls like it when guys are…you know, actually nice to them?"

"But I'm just flirting with her, getting her all worked up, ja?"

"Ja, but not all girls see that as flirting. Girls like Ema find that annoying and rude, not that I blame her." Athena crossed her arms. "You've got to remember, Prosecutor Gavin. Ema isn't like the fangirls you're used to. Honestly, she doesn't seem to care that you were a rockstar. Your former status means little to nothing to her."

"Ouch." Klavier poked a finger on his chest. "I feel as if one of Herr Blackquill's swords has stabbed my heart…Hm…That gives me an idea for a song."

"Prosecutor Gavin! You've got to be more serious about this! You've got to find a way to show Ema your good side. Show her that you aren't just a pompous, arrogant former rockstar. Show her your good qualities, and try to show some interest in learning about her as person instead of just working to get her angry at you!" Athena advised.

"Heh. It's funny. You're sounding a lot like Herr Forehead, Fraulein Cykes."

"Herr Forehead? Apollo? Me?" Athena looked over at Apollo, who was talking to Phoenix. She turned back. "What exactly did Apollo tell you?"

"Things similar to what you said. It isn't important."

"Right, but anyway. You've got to take some initiative and do your part in this mission of ours," Athena demanded. _I hope he remembers that he hired us. The harder he makes this for us, the more he's going to have to pay for our services! _

"Prosecutor Gavin. Nice show up there." Apollo broke away from the other group to join them.

"Thanks. I knew someone would be nice enough to mention my performance!"

"That…wasn't what I was talking about." Klavier frowned. "I was talking about that little stunt where you shrieked like a girl and hid behind the curtains!"

Kay, Athena and Apollo burst into laughter. "That's so true! You should've heard yourself!" Athena added in between laughs. "MEIN GOTT!" She mimicked before going into another fit of laughter.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Oh, it was! I didn't know you could be such a scaredy cat, Prosecutor Gavin!" Everyone else went silent, and soon Apollo's chuckles became softer and softer. "Er…what?"

"Now _that_ was a corny joke, Apollo, and it wasn't funny."

"But I wasn't even joking!" Apollo cried out.

"That just makes it worse, Polly!" Trucy groaned. She then noticed that Juniper was approaching them. "Hi Juniper! Did you like the show?!"

"Yes I did! It was wonderful, Trucy! Great job! I just came over to congratulate you." Juniper smiled sweetly.

"Aw…thank you, Juniper! I'm glad you liked it! Judge Courtney liked it too!" Trucy was beaming.

"You did well too, Mr. Gavin."

"Thanks, Fraulein Woods. How nice it is to hear a_ genuine_ compliment!"

Juniper was a little confused with the comment, but she just shook her head. "You're welcome. Well, I better get going. Thanks again. Bye Mr. Gavin, Kay, Trucy, Apollo, Thena!"

"Bye!" They all called out to her as she left.

As the other four broke from the group, Athena stood in place, arms crossed. _That was odd. Usually Junie and Apollo share a quick kiss, or at the very least, a hug. Now, they seemed to be…friendly with each other. Too friendly, and not in a way that would suggest that they're romantically interested in each other. Hm…_

**Athena's onto something, isn't she? And Klavier…oh Klavier. What to do with you, you poor misled child. I value your opinions and am totally open to constructive criticism, so please let me know what you think via reviewing or private messaging me! Thanks!**

**I'll be back in college pretty soon, so I can't promise I'll reply to everyone, but I'll try my best!**


	14. Turnabout Shopping Shenanigans

**This idea has been bugging me for a while now, so yeah. This doesn't have too much to do with the 'plot,' but it's just a fun chapter (and the longest chapter I've written to date. I was debating as to whether I should make into two parts, but I decided against it). I hope you like it (and I hope it doesn't bore you)! **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**_

**Chapter 12 - Turnabout Shopping Shenanigans**

One week after Trucy's magic show…

_Another trial completed. Another criminal behind bars. Life as a prosecutor is…pretty cool! _

It was Sunday, Kay's day off, and she woke up at about 9 AM, which was a little late for her, since she was usually up at 6:30 in the morning to get ready to go to the Prosecutor's Office. She didn't have any particular plans for the day, save for a trip to the store.

Dressed up in her usual Yatagarasu outfit, she opened her apartment door and stepped outside.

She took a deep breath in, savoring the feeling of her lungs being filled with air. _Meh…the air's pretty normal._ Exhaling loudly, she glanced over to her right when she noticed there was movement there.

"Hey! Serena, hi!" Kay walked over to her neighbor's doorstep.

The doctor, who was opening her front door, turned to face the prosecutor. "Hi Kay. How are you today?"

"I'm doing just great! How about you?"

"Oh, I'm doing well, thank you. Any plans for the day?"

Kay nodded her head, frowning. "Yeah. I have to go to the grocery store and buy some food."

"Is…something the matter?"

"You see, I have to walk to the store, and it's kind of far away. I like walking and all, but just thinking about how long it's going to take me…" She sighed heavily, pouting with her eyes shut.

"Hm…well maybe I could offer to help you out." Kay opened her eyes, curious to hear this offer. "It just so happens that I finally have my license back, and I myself have to head to the grocery store pretty soon. If you'd like, you could come with me."

Kay grinned. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're a lifesaver, Serena! When can we go?!"

Serena was surprised by Kay's enthusiasm, but she just chuckled. "Would it be alright if we left in about…?" She checked her watch before looking up at Kay. "Fifteen minutes?"

"That's fine with me! I have nothing else to do today!"

* * *

Kay stood right in front of Serena's door until it opened. "Hey! Right on time. Let's go!" She looped an arm through Serena's.

"O-okay. Let me just lock the door…alright. We can gooo!" Before she could say anything more, Kay pulled her towards the elevator. They went down to the car garage.

"Er…I guess I should let you lead the way, huh?" Kay removed her arm and let Serena lead her to a vehicle.

"Whoa…you…drive this?" Kay checked out the vehicle. It was silver SUV.

"Heh, heh. Yeah…I do. I…kind of indulged myself by buying it." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's nice. I just…it's huge! I never imagined you would drive a car so big…that's not a bad thing!" _Actually, that should work out just fine. _"Okay! Let's get in and be on our way."

Not wasting any time, they got in the car, buckled up and pulled out of the apartment complex garage. As they were driving on the streets, Kay glanced over at Serena. "Hey Serena? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Kay. What is it?"

"Do you think we could…stop at the mall?"

The doctor grimaced, her gazed fixed on the road. "The…mall?"

Now Kay was frowning, noticing the change in tone from compliant to hesitance. "Er….yeah. I…sort of need to go there too, but I haven't had the chance. I was wondering if…maybe you could take me there?" She looked over at Serena once more. _Oh no! I shouldn't have assumed that she wouldn't mind taking me! _"It's fine if you can't or don't want to. I understand."

"Oh no, no, no! It's not that. I'll gladly take you. I just…" She shifted in her seat, leaning forward as she focused on the road. "I'm not too fond of the mall. That's all."

"Not…fond? What do you mean?"

"I don't go there much, if at all. I don't know why." They stopped at a red light, so Serena had the chance to turn and smile at Kay. "But don't worry about me. We can go to the mall, and then go to the grocery store. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" Kay grinned. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

Kay fiddled with her fingers. "I…sort of…may have texted Athena and Trucy that I was going to the mall…and they may have asked to come with me…" She paused, taking a peek to see what the woman's reaction was. _Well…she doesn't look mad yet. _"And…they may have asked Maya and Pearl to come along too…so-"

"So we have to make a stop at the Wright Anything Agency, hm?" She asked, her smile never fading. "That's fine. It's a good thing you told me now; otherwise, we would've had to turn around."

"You don't mind that I just invited four people to come to the mall with us?"

"No. I don't mind."

"Aw, thanks! You're great! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

* * *

Ten minutes and one stop at the Wright Anything Agency later, the gray car was filled with one more adult and three teenagers who were all chattering together about their upcoming shopping trip.

"I haven't been to the mall in a while now. I want to find some nice yellow outfits I can wear besides my regular yellow suit. And maybe some other clothes that aren't yellow. I'm tired of having people call me Miss Baby Chick all the time!"

"Pearl and I have to get more clothes for when school starts again!" Trucy added.

"I haven't been to the mall before," Pearl began. "What's it like, Mystic Maya?"

"The mall? There's a whole bunch of stores there, and the food court! I want to have some delicious pretzels…oh! And some ice cream and cotton candy too!"

Kay was beaming. _This is going to epic! _"It's like we're going on a huge shopping spree together!"

"Yeah, it really is!"

"Er…girls. I just have one little question," Serena interrupted as they stopped at a yellow light. They all went quiet. "So we're going to the…mall. I was just wondering if…any of you…happened to know…how to get there?"

Again, the car was filled with silence before an outrageous gasp was heard coming from the front passenger seat. "You don't know where the mall is?! I live all the way up at Kurain, and even _I _know where it is!"

"How could you _not_ know where the mall is, Serena?!" Kay asked, just as shocked as everyone else at the woman's question.

Serena stuttered a little, not expecting such reactions. "I…I don't go to the mall often. I thought one of you might know where it was! I'm sorry!" She replied helplessly.

"That's okay. Luckily, I know exactly how to get there!" Athena smiled before leaning forward in her seat. She happened to be sitting right behind Serena. "Your trusty guide Athena will show you the way!"

Another 20 minutes later…

"This is the fifth time we passed that board, Athena," Kay called out, watching as a billboard advertising the Steel Samurai movie passed by through the window.

"Face it. We're lost!" Maya exclaimed dramatically.

"Mystic Maya. Didn't you say you knew where the mall was?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" Maya held her right hand by her cheek, thinking. She then smiled. "Heh, heh! I guess I don't really know!"

"I…thought I knew where the mall was too. Oops. I guess I don't either. Sorry you guys."

"It's fine, Athena. I should be the one apologizing. I should know where it is, having lived here and all."

"It's okay, Miss Serena. I'm sure we'll get there eventually."

"How about we ask that nice elderly lady over there if she knows how to get to the mall?" Trucy pointed to a pedestrian.

Kay spotted the elderly lady. _That lady looks familiar…too familiar. _

Serena pulled over to the right, and Trucy rolled down the window.

_Skinny, average height, gray hair…styled in an up do…wearing way too much lip…stick…oh no! _Kay twisted in her seat, instantly realizing who it was. "No! Not her!"

Maya gasped too. "Serena, don't stop! Drive, drive!"

"Wh-what? Why?!"

"Excuse me, but do you know how to get to the mall?" Trucy asked sweetly, ignoring the ruckus around her.

"What do I look like to you, some kind of human roadmap?! You think I'm going to tell you how to get to the mall?! I thought you whippersnappers had some kind of weird little box thing that tells you how to get places in these automobiles. Honestly, the whole lot of you depend on technology too much! Why back in my day, we had to trust our sense of direction and remember how to get places! And we didn't even have malls where we could get our clothes and other stuff from. I had to make my own clothe-"

"DRIVE! NOW!" Athena shouted, causing Serena to pull away from the curb quickly. The passengers all had their heads turned to watch as the woman shook a fist in the air and yell at them.

The car was dead silent as Trucy rolled the window back up. After a minute or so, she broke the silence. "That lady was weird."

"That _lady_ was Ms. Oldbag," Maya clarified.

"Or how I like to call her, Ms. Crankypants," Athena added.

"She's Mr. Edgeworth's stalker," Kay finished.

"Oh!" Pearl covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. "Does that elderly lady still bother Mr. Edgeworth, even after all these years?!"

"She sure does, Pearly. When Kay and I were investigating for Apollo's case, she was the witness at the park, and Mr. Edgeworth happened to be with us. You should've seen her, fawning over him!" Athena shuddered at the memory. "She has a serious crush on him."

"It's more of an obsession." Kay crossed her arms. "She always gets in the way and pops up at the most inconvenient times, particularly during investigations." _Although it is pretty funny to see Mr. Edgeworth get all flustered around her! _

"Oh! And don't forget when she dumped spaghetti all over Serena at the restaurant that day!" Trucy piped in happily, causing the others to chuckle while Serena just blushed.

When they settled down, Athena was pondering something. "You know? Ms. Crankypants did make a good point. Don't you have a GPS you can use?"

Serena shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't drive to too many places, so I never really found the need for one…but I guess I should consider getting one, shouldn't I?"

"GPS? What's that?"

"It stands for global positioning system, Pearl. It's what Ms. Oldbag sort of said. You type in the address of the place you want to go, and it'll tell you how to get there," Trucy explained.

"Wow. That would be helpful right now," Pearl mused.

Serena nodded. "But since we don't have one, we can just ask around until someone gives us the right directions. After all, Ms….er…Oldbag, did make a valid point. They didn't have GPSs a long time ago, so I'm sure we'll find our way to the mall eventually with one."

* * *

Eventually, after asking for directions from a nice couple, the group was able to navigate their way to the mall.

"Finally! I thought we'd never get here!" Maya hopped out of the vehicle, followed by Athena, Trucy, Pearl and Kay.

Serena was the last one out. She shut the door and locked the car. "Alright then, girls. You lead the way. Where do you want to go first?"

The five girls exchanged glances. It was quite obvious that none of them had any idea where they wanted to go.

"How about we just walk through the whole mall and stop at every store that catches our interest?" Trucy proposed.

After a moment of consideration, it was agreed that this would be the plan. As they walked out of the parking lot to the entrance, Serena asked them, "So how many stores are there here anyway?"

"125!" Kay replied.

Serena nodded her head, grimacing. "That's…wonderful."

"I hear dread and despair in your voice, Serena!" Athena pointed out.

"Oh no. I just…that's a lot of stores to go to."

"Don't worry! We won't go to every store. We'll just go to a 100 of them! No sweat!" The defense attorney smiled. "It'll be fun, trust me!"

They entered the mall, and Pearl gasped. "There…are so many people here!" Her eyes became progressively wider as she observed everything.

"Mmhm! Loads!" Kay looked over at Serena, who was cringing. She too was observing her surroundings, but unlike Pearl, who was clearly fascinated, the doctor seemed almost daunted. "You look really excited!"

"Heh, heh. Yeah…super excited," Serena managed to answer.

"You are going to have so much fun with us! Trust me!" Kay winked at her.

"Hey Pearly. How about you choose which store we – oh my gosh!" Maya ran off towards one of the stores. Laughing, the rest of them followed the spirit medium.

* * *

For the first half hour of their visit, the group walked by a whole bunch of stores, occasionally walking inside and taking a look around and commenting about certain items being sold. They had yet to do any real shopping, but were having fun window shopping.

One of the stores they went into was a department store, and they walking through the furniture section when Kay gasped and pointing in front of them. "Look, look!"

Maya's eyes followed Kay's finger, and she soon gasped too. "Are those…"

The two of them gazed at each other, goofy smiles appearing on their faces. "Swivel chairs!"

"Swivel chairs?! I love swivel chairs!" Athena cried out as she ran after them.

"Oh! Come on, Pearl! We can take turns pushing each other!" Giggling, Trucy grabbed Pearl's wrist and led her to where the others were.

Maya and Athena had found their own swivel chairs and were rolling themselves forward. Kay ran towards one chair, hopped onto the seat and cheered as it rolled down the aisle. She then began her signature speech.

"Even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight, one alone soars to shine the light of righteousness on the world's blight! And that one is me!"

"Oh yeah!" Athena called out, hands up in the air as she sat in the rolling chair.

"Whoohoo! This is so fun!" Maya yelled, her chair spinning around as she moved behind Athena and Kay.

"Come on Pearl! I'll push you!" Trucy pulled a chair over.

Pearl bit her nail, eyeing the chair tentatively. "Um…are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

Trucy shrugged. "It's not like we're stealing the chairs. We're just…testing them. Yeah, testing them for whether they have the fun factor to them! Don't worry! We'll be fine."

"…Okay. It does look like a lot of fun." Pearl clasped her hands, smiling.

Outside the store, Serena was sitting at the bench in front of the store, reading an article on her phone. She had opted out of going into the store. She was distracted from her reading as she heard a commotion coming from the store.

Looking up, there were Kay, Athena and Maya, running past the exit inside the store. Her eyes widened when Trucy passed by, pushing Pearl in a swivel chair.

"What's going on?" She muttered as she stood up and walked towards the sliding glass door. She took a few steps back when Trucy and Pearl, who was no longer in the chair, ran through the doorway, followed by Maya and Athena. "Girls! What happened?!"

They didn't answer her though, and she watched them run further away from the store. She turned back to the door as Kay came through. "Kay what's-"

"Explain later! Get away fast. Now!" Kay grabbed Serena and yanked her away.

As they were running after the others, a deep voice could be heard yelling behind them. "Come back here you troublemakers!" They turned around to see a security guard riding on a segway, hot on their trail.

"He's after us!" Kay shrieked. "What do we do?!"

"Head for the stairs!" Serena had seen the girls head towards them. She and Kay rushed down them and darting to the side, away from the security guard's view.

They eventually caught up with everyone else, catching their breath after having escaped from the store security guard.

"What…happened…back…there?" Serena managed between breaths.

"We *huff* sort of *huff* were *huff* a little *huff* naughty." Kay began.

Athena briefly filled her in on their little escapade with the swivel chairs, and Serena just nodded her head. "O...kay then."

"Well, one thing's for sure. Even though that security guard did spot us, those chairs definitely did pass the fun factor test!" Trucy declared.

This caused the rest of the group to chuckle.

"Oh my gosh! Look! We're in front Polly's favorite store in the whole world!" Trucy called out.

"You're right! We _have_ to take a selfie here, Trucy!" Athena pulled out her iPhone and Trucy went to stand next to her. They both smiled at the phone as Athena snapped a few pics, making sure the store's sign was in the frame. "We've got to send this to him. He'll be so jealous!"

Maya noticed them taking a picture, and she started laughing. "I want my picture taken here too! You too, Pearly. You come in the picture!"

"Oh! Can I join too?!" Kay volunteered herself.

"Er…I don't think I can fit everyone and the sign in the frame," Athena informed them. She then glanced up at the only person not asking to have her picture taken. "Hey, Serena! Don't you want to be in the picture with us?"

Serena shook her head. "No thanks. But how about I take a picture of the five of you?" Serena offered.

"Aw, thanks!" Athena handed her the phone.

She positioned it so that everyone was in the frame. "Smile girls!"

Athena stopped them. "Wait! On the count of three, let's say the store's name!"

Serena blinked a few times, unsure of why the girls were so giggly. "Er…okay…one, two, three."

"JUSTICE!"

"Oh!" Athena and the girls crowded around the phone. Snickering, Athena tapped on the phone's screen before shutting the screen. "Anytime now."

"Er…" They all looked up to the clueless Serena. "What exactly is so funny?"

"This is Apollo's favorite store," Maya answered.

"Apollo's…favorite store?" Serena eyed the tween girls' clothing store before turning back to them. "Um…" She shrugged, still not getting the joke.

"Look the name," Kay directed her.

"It's Justi-oh." Serena chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh my. I can't believe it took me that long to figure it out."

* * *

"I wonder how the girls are doing with their shopping spree."

Phoenix and Apollo were lounging on the office's sofas with nothing productive to do.

Apollo was about to answer he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Who's that?" He pulled it out and turned on the screen. "Huh. Funny you asked about the girls, Mr. Wright. I just got a text from Athena." He sat up and stared at his phone. "'Hey Apollo! We're at your favorite store in the mall.'" He scrunched his eyebrows. "My favorite store?"

Phoenix got up and sat down next to Apollo. "Let me see." He took the phone from Apollo, and just when he finished reading the text, a new one came. One look at the screen had the defense attorney laughing.

"Ha ha ha!" His shoulders were shaking, and he held his abdomen. "Th-th-that's…too…funny!"

"What? What?! What is it?!" Apollo seized the phone and checked the screen. There were five girls standing in front of a store. "What's so funny about this picture of them?" He then noticed the pink, curvy store name above them.

"You're kidding me," he remarked, frowning and eyes narrowed. He turned his head to glower at Phoenix, who now had tears coming out of his eyes. Apollo typed viciously in his phone. Once done, he slammed it down on the table and crossed his arms.

"Ha ha ha!"

* * *

Back at the mall…

A vibrating noise could be heard coming from someone's pocket. "That must be Apollo," Athena stated, whipping out her phone. "Ha ha! Look at his text!"

Pearl looked at the message. "All I see is a greater than sign, a colon, and an open parentheses."

Maya chuckled. "They make a face, Pearly. See?" Athena turned to the phone.

Pearl gasped. "Oh! That face looks angry!"

Trucy giggled. "He must be angry that we're at his favorite store!"

"Poor Apollo," Serena mused. She felt kind of bad. Had she known the reason why they took a picture in front of the store, she wouldn't have offered to take it for them. They all looked up at the sound of something rumbling. "Was…that your phone, Athena?"

Athena smiled sheepishly. "No. _That_ was my stomach."

"Oh no! That's right! We haven't had lunch! I'm starving!" Maya exclaimed, not realizing that it was past noon. She pointed her finger in an arbitrary direction. "To the food court!"

* * *

The girls were led by Maya to the food court, where they secured a couple of tables and bought lunch.

Trucy, Pearl and Athena were chattering away with each other, their food half-eaten, while Kay and Maya were getting to know each other more. The two had yet to interact much with each other.

"You were Mr. Edgeworth's assistant?!" Maya gaped at Kay, who giggled. "No way!"

"Yeah way!" She rubbed her nose. "I helped him out so many times in his investigations! I don't know what he would've done without me!" She boasted.

"That's so cool! Huh…" Maya tilted her head. "He never told us he had an assistant!"

This caused Kay to frown a little, and her shoulders drooped. _Of course he never told anyone. He never really officially called me his assistant. But hey! I technically was._

"You're kinda like me, Kay! I was Nick's assistant for a while!"

"Nick?" Kay's eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar name. "Who's Nick?"

"Nick? Phoenix Wright? He was the old geezer dressed in blue at the agency."

"G-geezer?" Kay thought for a moment, trying to recall seeing the man at the agency. She lifted her finger, eyes lighting up with recognition. "Oh right! That Wright! Phoenix Wright! He's a defense attorney, right?"

"Mmhm. He and Mr. Edgeworth faced off a lot in court, and Nick was Mr. Edgeworth's defense attorney when he was accused of murdering someone."

"Whoa! I didn't know that! Mr. Edgeworth didn't tell me much about Mr. Wright."

Maya nodded her head. "I'm not surprised. Nick saved Mr. Edgeworth from Manfred von Karma, and he figured out that von Karma was the one who murdered Mr. Edgeworth's father."

"Wow." Kay had heard of Manfred and knew some of the details about Gregory Edgeworth's death, but not this much. The Master of Kurain informed the Great Thief about all of the adventures she and Phoenix went on with the now Chief Prosecutor. Most of what Maya said was news to her. _Oh boy. There are so many long stories people owe me, especially Mr. Edgeworth! I've got to find time to hear them all!_

"So what do you do, Maya?"

"I'm a spirit medium."

"Spirit medium? What's that?"

Maya went into an in-depth explanation about the Kurain Channeling Technique, and how she came to be Master of Kurain.

"That's…really intense." _Hm…Channeling the dead…I wonder if she could channel _him_… _Kay shook herself out of her line of thought when Maya posed a question.

"So you're a prosecutor, huh Kay? Was Mr. Edgeworth like your mentor?"

"Ha! Mr. Edgeworth, my mentor? No way! Although…I did pick up some prosecuting skills from him! I studied law while I was with my mom and her relatives. My father was a prosecutor, and I always wanted to be a hero of justice like him. But…with that being said…" Kay played with the straw of her drink. "Mr. Edgeworth definitely was a source of inspiration for me."

"That's really nice," Maya replied, smiling. "I'm glad Mr. Edgeworth had an ace assistant like you, just like Nick had me!"

"Not only was I his ace assistant, but I was – and still am – the Great Thief, Yatagarasu!" Before Maya could ask what that was, Kay went into her own backstory about becoming a Great Thief.

"You know what? I really like you, Kay! You're so cool and upbeat! You remind me of someone…" Maya thought for a minute. "Someone I know really well, but I just can't put my finger on who it is." She grinned at Kay. "The only thing I wonder is why we haven't met each other before?!"

"I feel the same way!" They both giggled, seeing a new friendship already in the works.

Maya turned away to speak with Pearl. Kay noticed out of the corner of her eye that Serena was rather despondent. The doctor had her chin in the palm of her hand and was looking away from them. She had already finished eating her small lunch. Kay leaned forward. "Hey, are you alright?"

Serena's eyebrows lifted as she looked across the table. "Hm?" She faced Kay before giving her a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just spaced out." Her eyes wandered around the area before she went to staring at her lap.

_She's…not a social butterfly, I take it. Gee…I feel kind of bad. She looks kind of uncomfortable here. _

"Do you not like crowded places?" Kay prodded.

"Mm…not too much."

"How about shopping?"

"I like shopping to an extent. I like going to the separate department stores though, not really the mall. That's why I didn't know where this place was."

"Oh…I guess that makes sense." _I have this feeling that she needs to get out more. _

The others finished their lunches, and soon they were back to trekking through the mall.

They entered one clothing store, and after spending an hour trying on different clothes, actually made the purchases they had intended on making. Even Serena, who was reluctant to buy anything, had been convinced by the girls to buy a few items, although she didn't participate in their dressing room fun.

"Oh boy! I can hear my poor wallet sobbing in my pocket!" Athena readjusted the bags she was carrying filled with new clothes for her to wear.

Everyone chimed in agreement with her.

"Hm…where should we go next? I hope we can find an ice cream store. I'm hungry for some ice cream."

"But we just ate lunch an hour ago!" Kay exclaimed. _And she had three burgers! _

"Yeah…but one of my stomachs feels neglected! It needs ice cream!"

_One of her stomachs? I thought people only had one stomach? Oh well. _

"Oh! Can we go into that shop there, Mystic Maya?"

"Hm?" Pearl was pointing to a crystal shop. "Oh yeah! Let's check it out!"

Together, the six of them entered the store and broke off into groups to cover the whole store, which was relatively small in comparison to most of the other stores they'd been in. Four of the walls were lined with display cases filled with sparkling crystal pieces.

Pearl was on the side with the figurines, along with Trucy. She was fascinated by the shimmering objects and the different shapes of the crystal. There were little angels, bunnies, cartoon characters, and flowers, among other things.

"Oh! Look at this cute little teddy bear!" Pearl went to touch the bear when a woman squeezed between Pearl and one of the displays, causing the young spirit medium to bump her hand on the figurine. The sound of something shattering immediately followed.

"Why! You silly little girl!" The woman who bumped into her began yelling. She was a bit on the heavy side and a few centimeters taller than Pearl. She had on a gaudy red dress that glimmered in the light and white boa around her neck. Her hair was styled in a pouf that resembled Marie Antoinette's hair. It was about one foot long.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to knock it over and break it!" Pearl started to apologize profusely.

"Pearl! Are you okay?" Trucy asked, standing in front of Pearl.

Maya ran over to Pearl. "Pearl, are you alright?!" Athena, Kay and Serena headed over to them, hearing the commotion.

Serena saw the glass on the ground, and brushing her way past the others, she went to Pearl. "Let me see your hand. Are you hurt?" She gasped as she saw blood trickling down her finger. "You got cut!" She examined the wound closely.

Meanwhile, the woman was still shouting at Pearl. "How could you be so careless?! There should be a sign outside saying no klutzy people allowed!"

Athena, Kay and Trucy glared at the woman while Maya just held Pearl, who winced.

"Hey! It wasn't Pearly's fault! You shouldn't have squeezed your way through there!" Athena shouted back.

"And who might this orange-haired little girl be?!"

"Did you just call me a little girl?!" Athena took a few steps forward, only to be restrained by Kay and Trucy, who were telling her it wasn't worth hitting the woman. "Even with your two inch heels, you'd be the shortest one here!"

The woman just pursued her lips and smirked, ignoring the insult. "You need to cool down, lady!" Kay was frowning. _This lady is being really rude, and it looks like she overdosed on lipstick! Even Ms. Oldbag doesn't wear _that_ much lipstick!_

"Yeah, and _you_ were the one who bumped into Pearl, so technically, this is _your _fault!" Trucy pointed out, having witnessed the accident.

As the dispute continued, Maya, Pearl and Serena moved a little ways away from the others. "Here Pearl. I'll just wipe it off with this sterile wipe and we can put a Band-Aid on it." Serena grabbed a few things from her bag. "The glass didn't go in too deep, did it?" She asked as she administered first aid.

Pearl sniffed. "No, I don't think so." The young spirit medium looked over at the group with sorrowful eyes.

"There. All bandaged up. That cut should heal in no time." She smiled at Pearl before heading towards the lady, who was still huffing and puffing. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I think you're making a lot of trouble out of such a trivial manner. It's was obviously an accident, and no one else was harmed," Serena reasoned with the woman patiently.

"No harm?! That figurine is ruined, thanks to that child!"

"But it was an accident. She didn't mean to knock it over you know, and she apologized."

"Hmph! As if an apology makes things better! I had my eyes on that figurine, and now look at it! It's in pieces on the floor! Completely destroyed and rendered useless!"

Serena leaned back a little before crossing her arms, not liking the woman's attitude one bit. "This poor girl cut her finger, and all you care about is that figurine?! You're lucky that glass only caused a superficial cut! If the glass punctured her skin and got embedded inside, she'd have to get surgery, and do you know what that means? She could file a lawsuit against you and this store!"

"That's right! And I just so happen to be a defense attorney!" Athena hopped into the conversation. "But rest assured, I _wouldn't_ defend you!"

"And _I'm _a prosecutor, and I would be more than _happy_ to prosecute you!" Kay added her share.

"And who do you people think you are?! Besides, I'm _rich_! I can afford lawyers much more capable than you filthy simpletons!"

Serena took a step forward, glaring at the woman, who leaned back slightly and stared up at the angry doctor towering over her. "Just because you're rich doesn't give you the right to treat other people like trash. People like you disgust me. And _you_ should be the one apologizing to Pearl, not the other way around," she snapped.

The owner of the store, a gentleman dressed in a grey suit with white hair and a mustache soon approached the group. "Is something the matter here, Mrs. Payne?"

Mrs. Payne flipped her head back in a haughty manner, hair still in place. "Yes, Archibald! These pathetic hooligans are ganging up on me for a crime that _that_ little girl committed!" She motioned to Pearl, who was sniffling in Maya's arms. "Look at what she did! She knocked over that lovely teddy bear figurine I was going to purchase!"

The man examined the glass shards on the floor. He looked to Pearl. "I hope that young lady has a good explanation for this, and that she will pay for the damaged merchandise."

"What?!" Serena and Trucy exclaimed, outraged.

"No way! Pearly isn't at fault! And I'll prove it!" Athena clenched her fists. "It was an accident, alright? Pearly would never meaningfully break something so valuable!"

"Hah! She is at fault. Just admit it and stop arguing!"

"Oh yeah?" Athena 'accidentally' bumped into the woman as she tried to walk past her. In turn, the woman collided with a display table and knocked over a glass vase. It fell to the ground and broke, just like the figurine. "Oops." Athena tilted her head, giving the woman a fake smile. "My bad."

Mrs. Payne gasped. "Why you! You broke that vase! You better pay for that. It was your fault!"

"_Her_ fault?" Kay smirked, looked at Athena, and they both nodded their heads slowly in unison. This woman was about to be cornered by the ace attorneys. "Please testify as to why that is!"

"Testify? We're not in a courtroom!"

"But you're obviously so persistent on blaming people for doing things, the least you could do is tell us why."

"Fine. That vase falling and breaking is carrot-head's fault. I was just standing there, minding my own business. She pushed me into that table! On purpose!"

"Objection!" Athena declared, extending her pointer finger out so that it was one inch away from the tip of the woman's nose. "Listen here, Ms. Fancy Pants! There are many glaring contradictions in that testimony you just gave!

"What?!"

"First of all, no one calls me carrot head!"

"Um…Athena? I don't think you needed to say that. It was…kind of irrelevant, don't you think?" Trucy whispered.

Athena considered that. It was a good thing she wasn't actually in court; otherwise, the Judge probably would've penalized her. "Ahem. Right, well, not that this is important, but it's rude to call people such names." Mrs. Payne snorted, and Athena nearly growled.

"Anyway," she continued through her gritted teeth. "Secondly, you weren't just standing there, 'minding your own business.' You were too busy screeching at my friends and me! The third contradiction is how do you know for sure I pushed you deliberately?"

"Wasn't it obvious?! You did it to get revenge for me yelling at your friends!"

"Is that so? I beg to disagree. It was an accident!"

"Ha! As if anyone here would believe you! You're lying and clearly responsible for what happened here!"

"You can't prove that I did it on purpose," Athena countered.

"Be that as it may, whether or not you did it on purpose or on accident, this is all _your _fault."

"I'm at fault here. And you're saying I should get punished for that?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying! It seems it's finally sinking in that thick skull of yours."

Had Serena and Trucy restrained her, Athena was ready to punch Mrs. Payne.

Kay cleared her throat before stepping into the battle to take over. "According to your logic, Athena pushed you, whether or not it was accidental or deliberate is not an important matter at this time, but as I was saying. You got knocked into the display table, and that impact caused the vase to fall and shatter into a thousand pieces."

"Yes, that's right, but I don't see why you're wasting my time stating what _I_ already know!" The woman flipped her boa around her neck, causing a few feathers to fly in the air.

Kay winced, waving them away from her face. "You didn't let me finish! Because if you did…" She paused, tapping her left temple with her pointer finger, similar to how Edgeworth does, a smug smile growing on her face. "You'd see that you just indicated yourself as the culprit!"

"Wh-what?! What nonsense is this girl spouting?!"

"I'm not spouting nonsense! Because Athena bumped into you, you're saying that _she _should be punished." The woman nodded, rolling her eyes. Kay quickly locked eyes with Athena, winking. She returned her attention to the pompous woman, her smile gone. "Ergo! Whoever bumped into Pearl is the one to be blamed, and this whoever is…" Kay whipped her arm out to point at the culprit. "You, Mrs. Fancy Pants!"

"Agh!" The woman reeled back as if she was going to get hit by something. She was busted.

"Mr...Archibald was it? Archie. Do you have security tapes installed in the store?"

"Why, of course I do. I need to make sure no one tampers or gets away with any of my valuable possessions. And please…don't call me Archie. Mr. Archibald will do."

"Right Archie," Kay cut in, disregarding the man rolling his eyes at the nickname she gave him. "If you check the footage from a few minutes ago, you'll see that this woman pushed our friend Pearl against the display case, which resulted in the teddy bear figure falling to the ground. Therefore, you should be charging Mrs. Royal Payne here the money for your damaged merchandise!" _Oh yeah! Take that, lady! Now accept your guilty verdict gracefully!_

Archibald considered the argument made, and then went to go watch the footage. He came back and spoke sternly to the woman. "Mrs. Payne. I don't appreciate you falsely accusing potential customers of breaking my merchandise, especially when _you_ are the one who is to blame." He pointed to the cash register at the back of the small store. "Please go pay for the figurine over there."

Mrs. Payne let out a high-pitched shriek. Her pouf hairstyle unraveled and a huge pile of hair ended up on the floor near the broken glass.

Athena snorted before saying to Kay, "Her big pouf was a fake, so was seventy-five percent of her hair!" Indeed, Mrs. Payne hair, which was graying, only went a little past her ears and was extremely thin.

"Why I never! Hmph! Just see if I ever come to this store again! The nerve of all of you!" Mrs. Payne bellowed.

"Take about a royal pain," Kay said to Athena, who nodded in agreement.

"Given her name, the fate of her hair, and her attitude problem, I think she might be related to Gaspen Payne." Athena grimaced. "Also known as the Rookie Killer. He was an arrogant jerk, just like this lady."

"The prosecutor that Mr. Edgeworth just recently fired?" Kay tilted her head. "Hm… I think you might be right, Athena." Kay had heard about the corrupt prosecutor from her coworkers at the office.

The woman sulked over to the register, and Archibald addressed the girls. "I apologize for that rude behavior from that woman. Where is the young lady who was accused?" Maya ushered Pearl to the man. "Young lady. I sincerely apologize for what happened to you." He spotted her injury and looked worried. "Are you hurt?"

Pearl shook her head. "Not anymore. Mystic Maya and Miss Serena helped me out, so did the girls." She bowed at the man. "I'm sorry for breaking the figurine." She frowned, head down and shoulders hunched. "I didn't mean to."

"I forgive you for the figurine, since that wasn't your doing. It was an accident."

"Yeah! We proved you innocent, Pearly!" Athena cheered, only for Archibald to interrupt her celebration.

"But that vase…someone's going to have to pay for it." He eyed Athena, who was unfazed.

"No prob!" Athena stepped up, ready to pay. "How much was the thing?"

"Just six hundred twenty-five dollars."

"O-oh my." Athena grimaced before smiling nervously. "Er…do any of you guys have say…?" She pulled out her wallet and searched inside. "Five hundred ninety-eight dollars? Oh, and a quarter?"

The girls shook their head. Archibald cleared his throat loudly. "Someone is going to have to pay for that, you know."

"Don't worry. I'll pay for it."

"Y-you will?" Athena stared incredulously at Serena.

"Wait! You have five hundred ninety-eight dollars in hard cash? _And_ a quarter?!" Maya asked, shocked.

"Heh, heh. No, not in cash. I would never carry that much with me." She reached into her purse and brought out a little rectangular book. "I do carry a checkbook with me, just in case." She wrote out the check and handed it to Archibald, who was very pleased.

"Please do come again. You'll always be welcome here, especially you Miss," he spoke directly to Serena.

"Hmph. Sorry to disappoint, but I highly doubt I'll ever come here. I don't frequent the mall. But thank you for the offer. Have a nice day. Come on girls. Let's get out of here."

"Thank you guys for defending me," Pearl thanked the group.

"Hey! We couldn't just watch that big meanie gang up on our beloved Pearly!" Athena wrapped an arm around the young spirit medium.

Kay followed Athena's example, placing her arm around Pearl's shoulder. "Athena's right! We're your friends, Pearly!"

Trucy finished off by saying, "So of course we'd make sure to defend you from a false accusation!"

"We have good friends, don't we Mystic Maya?"

"We sure do Pearly! And to celebrate our victory, how about we buy some ice cream?!"

The girls cheered. "That sounds like a good idea. Come on, I see an ice cream store over there. I'll get some for all of us."

"Wait! You paid for the figurine that _I _broke on purpose, which I forgot to say thanks for. Thank you so much for doing that! And because you did that, you should let _me_ buy the ice cream!" Athena argued.

"No, no. That won't do at all. And forget about paying for the vase. That isn't a big deal. You don't owe me anything. Now come on! That ice cream won't wait forever for us!"

* * *

"That was a pretty crazy day today at the mall!" Kay mused as she unloaded the groceries from the trunk of Serena's car.

"Yeah. You're certainly right about that. Time sure flew by," Serena replied.

After eating ice cream at the mall, Athena, Trucy, Pearl, and Maya were dropped off to the Wright Anything Agency. Kay and Serena went to the grocery store and came back to the apartment complex.

They rode the elevator up to the seventh floor. "You need any help, Kay?"

"No! I got it, thanks!" The prosecutor unlocked her door and set her stuff inside, only to walk over to Serena's doorstep. "And thank you for bringing the girls and me to the mall. I know I kind of sprung that on you suddenly. Sorry about that."

Serena chuckled. "Don't apologize, and you're more than welcome. I'll be honest. I didn't think I'd have such a good time. But…it was fun."

"Really?" Kay brightened up. "I was worried you might be bored out of your head!"

That made Serena laugh. "No. I was far from bored. I really did enjoy today. Thank you for that, Kay."

Kay couldn't help but rub her nose. "You're welcome."

"I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay! Bye!" The Great Thief watched as her neighbor shut the door. _Yup. I definitely need to help her get out more. _

"Oh no! I better go put those groceries in the fridge, or they'll rot!" She ran back to her door and into her apartment.

…**Yeah, this is a super random chapter, I know. I couldn't resist the urge to write it though! I give you permission to yell at me about how crazy and long this chapter was (and how crazy I am). Please do leave a review or private message me, though (constructive criticism is welcome!). Thanks!**

* * *

**Oh man. I really wish I was a decent artist so that I could draw a picture of the girls standing in front of a Justice store. I can see it in my head, but it would be an utter disaster for me to transpose that mental image onto paper. **

**...Yeah. That whole part with the crystal figurines and yelling objection was something I added last minute. I didn't originally intend to have that in there. Then, I figured there aren't going to be any cases or trials in this story, and what kind of Ace Attorney fic would this be without at least some form of a case or trial?! (I felt bad at making Pearls the defendant though!)**

**I also kind of used this chapter to sort of establish relationships between the Ace Assistants. I didn't want them to just automatically be good friends with each other without some serious bonding time. This was one of those bonding moments. **

**:( This was what Apollo texted them, in case you were wondering (except there should be angry eyebrows too). **


	15. Turnabout Happy Birthday

**Warning: This chapter is devoted to my OTP, Feenris (In other words, get ready for some fluff). It also isn't all that great, but if I don't post it now, I may never move along with this fanfic! (One last thing, just for clarification: Iris is taking classes at Ivy University so that she can become a paralegal). **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**_

**Chapter 13 – Turnabout Happy Birthday**

Iris stood outside the door to the Wright Anything Agency on the Friday evening in mid-September. The sky was still blue. Her classes were over by noon, so she spent most of her time at the university library, working on homework so she wouldn't have too much to do over the weekend.

"I wonder why Athena called me over here," she thought aloud. Shaking her head, she gently rapped on the door before opening it. She glanced down at herself. She was wearing an amethyst-colored empire dress. "And why did she ask me to dress up so…formally?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Oh!" Iris's brown eyes widened, and she jumped in fright.

"Apollo! I told you to lower the decibel! Sheesh, you could've given her a heart attack and killed her!"

"But I don't get to use my Chords of Steel for anything other than trials!"

"You're impossible!"

"You're just jealous because your lungs and vocal chords can't handle what mine can!" Apollo crossed his arms and tilted his head up, smirking.

"Oh, is that what you think?! Because I'd be happy to prove you wrong!" Athena's eyes shot daggers at Apollo as she held her clenched hands up.

"Wh-what's g-going on?!"

Athena and Apollo realized that Iris was still standing in the doorway, eyes wide with uncertainty and alarm. Athena smiled brightly at her. "Er…don't mind us! We're just arguing, as usual! But more importantly, someone's got a birthday today!" Athena's smile widened.

*Poof* A flash of smoke appeared between the two attorneys, and both of them jumped away.

"Happy Birthday!" In the midst of the smoke stood Trucy, posed with her left hand on her hip and her right hand gripping the edge of her top hat. She had a huge grin on her face.

"Thank you very much! This is quite a surprise! But...how did all of you know it was my birthday?"

"Oh? A certain…_bird_ told us about it," Athena replied. She covered her mouth with her hands as her shoulder shook.

"Athena. Did you just...?" Apollo asked dryly.

"Mmhm!"

"Ugh." _She just had to make a pun, didn't she?_

Iris had an amused smile on her face. "Well, thank you for your kind wishes." She directed her question to Athena. "So was that why you called me here?"

"Yeah, but you can't leave yet!" Athena's hand latched onto Iris's wrist and brought her to the red couches. "Have a seat." Iris did as she was told. "What kind of birthday would this be without presents?!"

"Athena. I'm very glad to have received your kind birthday greeting. I don't need any presents."

The orange-haired attorney shook her head defiantly. "Oh no. None of that 'I don't need presents' talk! We got you presents, and whether you want to or not, you're gonna take 'em!"

Iris didn't bother to argue with Athena, who clearly had no intention of budging.

"You should open mine!" Trucy had gone into the office room and brought a gift-wrapped box out. It was lavender colored, with a yellow ribbon tied around it. "Here!" She placed it in the woman's lap, and went to sit between Apollo and Athena on the other couch.

Iris started off by pulling off the yellow ribbon, taking care not to rip anything.

"If you want, I can open it for you!" Athena offered, eager hands reaching out to take possession of the present.

"Be patient, Athena. It's Iris's birthday, not yours. Please continue and ignore this impatient kid."

"Hey! I am _not_ a kid! I'm only five years younger than you!"

Not minding the brewing argument, Iris continued to delicately open the gift. When she finally unwrapped and opened the box, she pulled away the tissue paper and gasped.

"Oh…this is…so wonderful!"

"Teehee! Do you really like it? I made it myself!"

"I love it!" Iris picked up a hand-knit magenta beanie with both hands. Embroidered on the front of it in cyan was the word "Mama."

"Now you and Daddy have matching beanies!" Trucy smiled sweetly. "Try it on!"

Iris put the hat on and looked up at the others. "Well? How does it look?"

"It looks so adorable!" Athena gushed.

"All you need is a gray sweatshirt, and you'd look kind of like Mr. Wright during his hobo days."

Silence followed after, and Apollo was the target of three pairs of eyes, one of them surprised and two of them glaring. _Why is it when I try to say something funny, no one thinks it's funny?!_ He shook his head, muttering a sorry.

"Thank you Trucy. I'll treasure it." Iris pulled her in for a hug, which was returned enthusiastically.

"You're welcome, and happy birthday…Mommy," Trucy whispered into her ear.

Iris pulled away, blushing. She them searched around the office. "Um…where's Feenie?"

"See. That's where our p-"

Athena was interrupted by Apollo, who stood up. "_Our_ time to leave is." He motioned for Athena and Trucy to follow him to the door.

Iris went after them outside. "Wait. Where are you guys going?" She asked, confused as to what was going on.

"We're going out," Apollo replied simply as he unlocked his bike. He looked from Trucy to Athena. "Er…sorry girls, but I can only fit one of you on here."

"Come on, Apollo. Of course you're going to take Trucy with you!"

"But what about you, Athena? Are you really going to walk the whole way?!"

"Yeah, Athena. I really don't want to have to wait for you to catch up with us," Apollo added.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh, Apollo! I can guarantee you that I'll be able to get there before you guys."

"Yeah right," Apollo countered, not realizing what he was setting himself up for.

Athena smiled and slammed her fist into her palm. "Challenge accepted, Apollo. See you guys!"

The three of them watched as Athena began jogging down the street.

"Oh no. Come on, Trucy. Let's get going; otherwise, she's going to rub into our faces. No, _my _face."

With that, Apollo and Trucy go onto his bike, Trucy sitting behind him and rode off.

"Hey! Wait! What am I supposed to do here?!" Iris called out to them.

Trucy turned her head and shouted. "Just wait there!" She waved at Iris. In a matter of moments, the two of them could no longer be seen.

Iris sighed heavily and leaned against the light pole. "What am I supposed to wait for?"

"Not what. Who. And I'd never keep you waiting."

"Oh!" Iris gasped and turned around, a hand covering her mouth. She moved it down to reveal a relieved smile. "Feenie! You scared me!"

"Heh, heh. Sorry about frightening you." There was the defense attorney, clad in his usual blue waistcoat and pants, his attorney's badge shining.

"It's okay, but what's going on?"

"You'll see. Now come on." Phoenix got on his own bike. "I know a car ride would've been more fitting for an occasion like this, but…I don't have a driver's license, and I couldn't find anyone who could give us a ride, so sorry about that. I didn't want to take a taxi, either. It would've been…weird."

Iris chuckled as she sat behind Phoenix, wrapping her arms around him. "It's fine, Feenie. This is better." She laid her cheek against his back, her arms tightening.

Glancing at her over his shoulder, Phoenix smiled. "I knew you'd say that. And I think you're right. Now, we should go."

* * *

They had a nice bike ride down the street to Phoenix's apartment, during which they exchanged various details about what was happening in their lives. Phoenix discussed details about some of his recent cases, while Iris shared stories from her time at the university.

"After you." Phoenix held the apartment door open for his girlfriend.

"Thank you, Feenie." Iris slipped off her shoes and went into the living room, only to gasp. Gone was the sofa and coffee table, and in their place was a dining table set for two. The lights were turned down, and a candle was lit up in the center of the table. Surrounding it were a whole bunch of irises.

Phoenix walked ahead of Iris and pulled out the chair. "Here, Iris."

Iris giggled as she sat herself down. "Thank you again."

Phoenix sat across from her and cleared his throat. Frowning, he cleared his throat again, but this time, it was louder, more forced.

"Hello there!" Iris pursued her lips as she smiled, while Phoenix snorted. Standing in the doorway to the kitchen were Athena and Apollo, dressed up as waiters with black vests and a black bowtie. Athena was wearing a black skirt, while Apollo had black pants on.

Athena looked expectantly at Apollo, who was avoiding her gaze. She leaned closer to him, eyes sharpening. Groaning a little, Apollo cleared his throat before he forcefully greeted the couple. "Welcome to Chez Wright, where the food is always made and tastes right! My name is Apollo, and I'll be your waiter for today, along with my assistant, Athena."

"He means _lovely_ assistant. And please excuse his lack of enthusiasm." Athena headed to their table with two sheets of paper. "We'll both be taking care of you tonight. Here's our menu." She handed the 'menus,' that is, the sheets of paper, to them. "Please take your time in choosing what you want. But before that, can I get the two of you something to drink?"

Iris stared at Phoenix before looking up at Athena. She wasn't sure if she should go along with the act, but she didn't want to disappoint them, so she did. "Um…what do you have?"

"We have water, water, and…oh yes! Sparkling water."

"I'll just have water, please."

"And you, boss? I mean…sir."

"The same for me."

"Excellent! I'll be back with that in a few seconds!" She rushed into the kitchen and came back in with two glasses of water. "There you go. Just let me know when you're ready to order." She took a few steps back to stand beside Apollo.

Iris smiled and picked up the 'menu.' She read the options and frowned. "Um…Feenie?" She whispered.

"Hm?" Phoenix lifted his eyes up from the menu to her. "What is it?"

Iris's eyes briefly went to Apollo and Athena, who were whispering to each other. She leaned closer to Phoenix. "There's only three options listed on this menu, and they're all spaghetti. Not that I mind, but…" She shrugged.

Phoenix checked the menu and saw she was right. _Option one: spaghetti. Option two: spaghetti with extra parmesan cheese. Option three: spaghetti with extra, extra parmesan cheese. *Sigh* Couldn't you two have come up with something else? _

"Wait! There's something on the back," Iris claimed.

Phoenix turned the menu. _Option four: grilled cheese sandwich. Real original. _He set down the menu, catching Iris's attention.

"I wanted to make reservations at the restaurant, but…let's just say…those reservations got a little messed up," he explained.

The two other attorneys were close enough to hear what their boss said. Apollo looked knowingly at Athena, who immediately became defensive. "Hey! It was not my fault that that guy was flirting with me! He was begging for a slap in the face! The pig!"

"So…this was the next best thing." Phoenix leaned forward, whispering. "I can't guarantee that the food's going to be great, but they insisted they would cook for us."

"Wow. That's sweet of them. I think this is pretty good."

"Sooo…have you two decided on what you want?" Athena walked over to their table, pulling out a notepad from her pocket and a pen from behind her ear.

"I'd like…the spaghetti, please." Iris smiled up at Athena.

"Would you like option two or option three? Or option one?"

"Oh…uh…I guess I'll take option two?"

"Excellent choice, ma'am! What about you, sir?"

"I'll have the…grilled cheese sandwich. Does that come with any sides?"

Athena considered the question. "…Tomato soup!"

"Anything else?"

Athena smiled brightly, shaking her head. "Nope!"

"R-right. I'll take the soup then."

"Great! I'll take your menus from you, and your food should be done…" She faltered before forcing a grin. "It'll take a while, but don't worry! We're going to have live entertainment for you!"

Athena walked over to the doorway and yanked Apollo in with her. Just as soon as they left, Apollo was shoved back into the room. He stumbled a little, but regained his balance. "Er…here." He switched on the stereo system, and soft jazz music rang through the room.

"Don't forget the fire!" Athena whispered from the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, Apollo switched on the TV, and on the display was a crackling fire. He trudged back into the kitchen.

Iris giggled. "They're going far out for this, aren't they?"

Phoenix nodded, sighing defeatedly. "I think they both feel bad about having ruined our chances for making reservations."

Iris frowned. "Why would Apollo feel bad?"

"He was the one who was supposed to go make reservations, at least, I asked him to. He was busy, so _he_ asked Athena to do it, and well…Athena pretty much covered what happened after that."

Iris nodded. She was about to say something, when a new figure came into the room.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to Trucy Wright's extraordinary birthday magic show!"

Phoenix and Iris clapped enthusiastically, and Trucy immediately started her performance.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

"Where's the can of tomato soup, Apollo?!" Athena was searching through the cupboards in the kitchen, desperate to find the food item.

"I don't know! This isn't my apartment, Athena! Besides, I'm too busy trying to get the spaghetti all boiled and the sauce hot. Remind me again why we didn't come here earlier and start prepping the food?"

Athena was on her knees, half of her body inside a cupboard. "Because it won't take us as long as you say to make the food, and it has to be fresh-out-of-the-oven…or off-the-stove. Ow!" She cried out.

"Are you okay? Oh shoot! I have to make the grilled cheese! Almost forgot!" He located the cheese and bread and went about preparing the sandwich.

"Just bumped my head is all. Ugh. No soup in here." Athena went to move herself out of the cupboard. "Mmph! Oof! Nrgk!"

"Something the matter, Athena?" Apollo called from above as he placed two grilled cheese sandwiches onto the pan on the hot stove.

"I think I'm…oof! Stuck!"

Apollo glanced down at her. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to her. "Do you need some help?"

"No! I can get myself out!" Apollo just leaned against the counter, staring up at the ceiling. "Oof! Mmph!" Banging noises could be heard as Athena struggled. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, her voice, tiny and helpless spoke one word. "Help."

Smirking, Apollo grabbed her legs. "Alright. On the count of three, I'll pull, alright?"

"Right."

"One…two…three!" Apollo heaved.

"OW!" She shrieked. "Don't pull so hard!"

He let go off her feet and took a few breaths. "If I don't pull you like that, you'll be stuck in there forever. Now let's try again." Again, he pulled, but to no avail. She was still stuck in the cupboard.

"Apollo!" She whined.

"The least you could do is _try_ to get yourself out while I pull, Athena! I'm strong." He heard her scoff at him. Shaking his head, he continued. "But I'm not _that_ strong. Now…let's give it one more go." Apollo rubbed his palms together and grasped firmly onto her ankles. "Okay. One…two…"

"Wait! I think I'm almost ou-"

"THREE!"

"AGH!" The two of them flew backwards into the big, wooden dining table, falling to the ground.

* * *

As Trucy did one final curtsy at the end of her show, she looked up from her bent position when a commotion could be heard coming from the kitchen.

Phoenix and Iris turned their gazes to the kitchen. Phoenix grabbed the back of his chair, getting ready to stand up. "Maybe I should go check on them."

"No, Daddy! It's alright! I'll go check on them!" Trucy stood behind his chair and placed her gloved hands on Phoenix's shoulders, forcing him to stay seated. "Don't worry about a thing, Daddy!" She rushed off into the kitchen.

Phoenix sighed and looked across the table to Iris. "Why is it that I'm more worried after she said not to worry?"

Iris smiled sympathetically, shaking her head. "I'm sure they have the situation, whatever it is, under control, Feenie."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Phoenix replied weakly. _She has too much faith in them. I guess it makes up for my lacking it. _Grinning, he reached his hand over to hold Iris's. She blushed as she felt his hand touch hers, and she smiled shyly at him.

In the kitchen…

"Athena! Apollo! What happened?! Are you two okay?" The two attorneys were in heap on the floor. The dining table was still standing, although not in its usual place, and a couple of chairs had been knocked over. Trucy went over to help the two stand up.

"Nothing, except that Athena had to get herself stuck in the cupboard!"

"You weren't listening to me, Apollo! I told you right before you said three that I was almost out!" Athena yelled.

"Hey! At least you two are okay! Now how's the food coming along?"

"Food? Right! There's no tomato soup, so yeah."

"But the spaghetti and sauce and sandwiches are coming along well."

"Hey you guys! Is everything alright?" They heard Phoenix call out from the living room.

"Come on! You guys should explain the situation!"

Apollo and Athena agreed with Trucy, and went to speak with the couple.

"So!" Athena clapped her hands together, eyes shut as she flashed a smile at them. "A little bad news. There's no tomato soup. I guess we had a little…misunderstanding with our inventory."

"However, the rest of the food should be fine!" Apollo guaranteed, and Athena nodded.

"You two sure you'd don't need help?"

"Nope! We're fine, Mr. Wright. Er…I mean sir." Apollo corrected himself when Athena nudged him.

"That's right! Now come on, Apollo! We should go wash our hands in the bathroom, and then get back to work! Trucy! Maybe you could perform an encore for the lovely couple?" Athena winked, and Trucy winked back.

"Okay then! How about we have an encore, hm?" Trucy decided to bring out Mr. Hat. "Well, look who we have here! What's your name, Miss?"

"Me? Oh, I'm Iris."

"Hello, Iris. I must ask, who's that dashing man sitting across from you?"

Iris blushed and locked eyes with Phoenix, who was grinning, his own face also turning red. "My boyfriend, Feenie."

"Boyfriend? How long have you two been going out?"

"A few months now. Although we went out together a long time ago," Iris answered.

"Hm…you know, Feenie. You shouldn't keep the poor girl waiting."

"Waiting?" Phoenix frowned. "Waiting for what?"

"Waiting for you to pop the question, duh! With such a fine lady as her being your girlfriend, I'm surprised you haven't already proposed to her!"

_Trucy…I know what you're trying to do. Way to put pressure on your old man like this! _Before Phoenix could respond, Iris did it for him.

"We're trying to take things a little slower in our relationship. We both think marriage can wait for the time being." She smiled at Phoenix, who smiled back.

_She always surprises me like this. But I couldn't have put it better myself. _

However, Iris was no longer smiling. "What's…that smell?" Iris sniffed, searching around.

Phoenix sniffed and noticed an odd smell too. "It smells like smoke." He quickly looked to his right, where he saw a fire. "Wait. That's the TV display. But that smell seems pretty real."

"AH! FIRE!" Apollo ran out of the kitchen, followed by Athena.

"Run faster, Apollo!" The two of them evacuated the apartment.

Phoenix and Iris stood up. He grabbed a hold of Iris and Trucy. "You two! Get out of here!"

"But Feenie!"

"Daddy!"

"Just get as far away from the apartment! Let me see how bad this fire is. Maybe I can put it out." He ushered them out the door. Phoenix then grabbed the fire extinguisher that was in the corner of the living room. Pulling the pin, he went into the kitchen. "Whoa! *Cough* *cough* *cough.*"

He used a hand to wave the smoke away from his face. He could see flames coming from the stovetop. He aimed the nozzle of the extinguisher to the base of the fire. "Take that, fire!" He yelled as he sprayed on the fire. The fire alarm started going off, but in a couple of minutes, Phoenix managed to put out the fire.

"Phew!" He wiped his now-sweaty brow. "That was close!" He then lifted his head, hearing the faint sound of… "Sirens?" He went over to the window and looked out of it. "Oh no," he groaned.

* * *

"Well, we completely ruined Iris's birthday dinner," Athena stated, shoulders hunched as she leaned back on the bench, hands behind her head. The two of them were sitting in People Park, near the entrance.

"Hm…I hate to say this, but we sure did." Apollo was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Sighing, he shook his head. "It's all my fault. I forgot I put the grilled cheese on the stove."

Athena turned her head to the right, frowning. Her sharp sense of hearing pinpointed one emotion in his voice. Guilt. "Don't blame yourself, Apollo." She tilted her head up to stare at the sky. "I'm to blame too. I was so preoccupied with finding that soup, and then I got myself stuck in a cupboard! I mean, who does that?!"

Apollo chuckled. "You do, Athena."

She snorted. "I sure do. But as I was saying, you shouldn't take the blame yourself. I'm as much to blame." She checked the time. "Hm…eight o'clock. Trucy's back at the office, isn't she?"

Apollo nodded, before leaning back against bench like Athena. "Yeah. I think she said something about watching the Steel Samurai? I think she's getting herself ready for the movie coming out soon."

"Right." They were quiet for a while, until the shrill sound of a phone beeping was heard.

Apollo peeked down, watching as Athena got her phone out. "Who is it?"

"Hm? Oh, just Simon. He's still at the office, working."

"Huh. I haven't heard you say much about Prosecutor Blackquill. How is he doing?"

"Simon? Oh, he's doing fine. You know him. He's pretty busy with cases and everything. I've been trying to get him to hang out one of these days, but he insists he occupy himself with work."

"I see." Apollo noticed that Athena wasn't as enthusiastic when talking about the prosecutor. _What's the matter? I don't need her special hearing to know that something's bothering her._ "Is…everything okay…between the two of you?"

"Hm?" Athena had been distracted by her phone. "Oh yeah. We're good." She swiped her thumb over the screen of her phone.

_My bracelet…why is it…tighter? _He stared at Athena, whose eyes were trained on her phone. _Is she lying? _

"Are you sure about that, Athena?" He pressed.

"Yes, Apollo. I'm fine," she forcefully replied.

_She's pressing her fingertip onto the tip of her crescent earring. That's her tell. _"Athena. Something's wrong."

"Why would you say that?" She crossed her arms, turning her head away.

"You're lying to me. Or did you forget my powers of perception?" He watched her closely. _She's tensing up. _

"It's…not important."

"If it's got you upset, then it has to be important."

Athena didn't say a word for a moment, and Apollo shook his head. _She isn't going to tell m-_

"It's Simon and me." Apollo shifted himself on the bench so that he was facing her. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Athena continued. "We…well…how do I put this? We broke up."

"You guys broke up?!" Apollo exclaimed. _Whoa! When did this happen and why?!_ He shook himself out of his thoughts as she elaborated. "When?! I mean…what happened?"

Athena scuffed her foot against the ground. "It was a month ago, actually. I went to his office, and we had a little…discussion about our relationship."

_A month ago? That would've been…in the middle of August. She seemed fine a month ago! _"Er..." He wanted to ask what the reason was behind the break up, but at the same time, that'd be awkward.

"We were together for a few months, and it was fun. We went on some pretty cool dates, especially to the aquarium." She had a distant smile on her face, her eyes a little glazed over, as if she was reliving those dates. She stared down at her feet, her smile fading. "But I think as we went on more dates, something started to become clearer and clearer for us."

Apollo didn't say a word, not wanting to interrupt her.

"I thought we were really in love. I thought we really liked each other. And we do. We do love each other. But…" She had a sad smile. "It wasn't…romantic love. It was more of…familial love, I think."

"Familial love? But I thought you had a major crush on him."

Athena chuckled. "I did have a crush on him. A major crush, because I mean, come on. He's pretty handsome!"

"Er…right." _I can't really say I agree, but he is good-looking. _

"But then again, I felt the same way back when I was a kid." She crossed her arms again. "I think the two of us misunderstood our feelings for each other. We _thought_ we loved each other in a romantic way. Our dates went from being romantic to more casual. Finally, we both stopped going out on dates, probably because we each came to the revelation that we weren't really in love. Neither of us knew how to approach the situation. But…I soon came to know how Simon felt. I heard his heart."

_Gee. She's really pouring her heart out to me. _"And?" He prompted her to finish, as he could tell that she needed to release all of this, to tell someone.

"I admitted that I felt the spark faded between the two of us."

"How did he react?"

"He was quiet for a moment, and then he told me the same thing. And that day, we agreed to break up. I was actually…relieved, when we did. It was hard…continuing the relationship with doubts about it. We're both happy now." She sighed, once again staring up at the sky. "Simon is a really important person in my life. I'd have never gotten this far if it weren't for him. I do love him. Immensely, and I know he loves me too. But…the two of us just can't be in a romantic relationship with each other."

"Wow."

Athena laughed a little. "Wow? That's all you have to say? No picking on me? No rubbing the fact that we broke up in my face?"

Apollo was shocked. "Athena, I wouldn't do something like that to you. I'm surprised that you actually told me all of this…but I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me all of this. That's why you were upset, right? Because you didn't tell anyone?"

She nodded. "There's that. I didn't want to tell anyone, because I figured everyone would be shocked to hear we broke up. And I thought people wouldn't believe the reason why we broke up."

"Trust me. If no one else believes it, I do. And you know why?" He saw Athena shake her head. "Because that's happened to me too."

"Wh-what?! What are you talking about?! You had a girlfriend before you dated Junie?!" Athena was now sitting up.

Apollo shook his head and went into an explanation of how he and Juniper broke up. In the middle, when he mentioned the actual break up, he had to calm Athena down, as she was ready to slap him and threatened to cause severe pain if she found that Juniper was hurt by the break up.

"So I completely understand what you mean. Sometimes people fall out of love, and sometimes people think they're in love, when they really…aren't." He chuckled. "And then there's those people who don't realize they're actually in love."

Athena was silent. She couldn't believe that Juniper and Apollo had broken up, especially since she didn't sense much sadness from Juniper. She figured Juniper chose not to tell her because Athena would've punished Apollo before having heard the whole story. She'd have to ask her soon about it.

Apollo let out another sigh. "So I guess we're both single now."

"Yup. So…are you ready to mingle?"

Apollo shrugged. "No idea. You?"

"Meh. Not sure. That's also what I've been wondering."

"What do you mean?"

"I just wonder…if I will find someone. Someone who'll really love me, and who I'll really love."

She was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Athena. I know you'll find someone great. Any guy would be lucky to date you," he said genuinely.

She saw that he was being sincere, and she smiled. "Thanks, Apollo. I appreciate that. You're a good friend." She turned away a little, not wanting him to see that his compliment had made her turn red. Usually, only Simon was able to make her blush like that. She grinned at him. "And I'm sure some girl out there will find you good enough to deal with your Chords of Steel."

"Hey!" He called out, before nudging her with his shoulder. She nudged him back. He let out a short laugh. "Heh. I'm glad you're feeling better, and I feel the same. You're a good friend too. It's funny. We usually can't carry on a civil conversation without getting into some kind of argument with each other."

"Now that I think about it, you're right! Well, I guess we're making some headway then with more civil interactions." Athena then groaned. "Ugh. I still can't believe what happened today though."

"Yeah. We just kissed our raises goodbye with what we pulled off today."

"Well, at least his stove wasn't too expensive. And the firefighters were pretty nice to us, even though they did advise us to be more careful next time."

"I'm most thankful for the fact that Mr. Wright's landlord wasn't there. He could've gotten into some serious trouble if she was there. But he said that when he called and told her about the situation, she wasn't mad. She was apparently concerned as to whether anything happened…and she wanted to know how the date went."

"Hm…right. Their date. I almost forgot about that. I wonder what they're doing now," Athena thought aloud.

* * *

"This is nice," Iris mused.

"You think so?"

"Mmhm."

"Well…I did intend for our dinner to be by the candlelight, but…I guess eating under the stars is romantic too."

"And eating on a picnic blanket at the park pretty much all alone? It's like we're in a romance story."

Indeed, the couple was sitting on a blanket, finishing up their dinner in the center of People Park.

"It's a good thing Mr. Eldoon's stand was still open." Phoenix looked at the empty noodle bowls. "I doubt we could've gotten food from anywhere else on such short notice."

"His noodles are pretty salty, but they were good."

Phoenix sighed, brushing his hand along the grass. "I'm sorry our date got a little too…hot to handle. I wanted today to be perfect for you."

Iris shook her head and took a hold of his hand. "Feenie. Today was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I've never had such an…eventful birthday."

"Heh. Eventful is an understatement," Phoenix commented dryly, but he squeezed her hand. "Trucy, Apollo and Athena meant well, they really did. They just mess up sometimes. But their hearts' are in the right place."

Iris nodded. "I know that, Feenie. And it's their effort that matters." She stared down at her lap. "It's so nice…to have so many people caring for me, like they do. Like _you_ do. Especially after all those years…living at Hazakura Temple with just Sister Bikini. I felt pretty lonely, and I thought no one else would ever care for me. But now that's changed, and I couldn't be happier. I have you to thank for that, Feenie. You let me have a second chance, and showed me love. Thank you." She ended with a whisper.

"Rissy." He grinned widely as he saw her eyes widen and her cheeks become tinted pink. "You're the first girl I fell in love with, the _only_ girl I've ever fallen in love with. You deserved a second chance. You deserve a lot more than anything I can give you. You deserve everything. I'm a lucky guy to have a person like you as the love of my life."

Iris tilted her head to the side, smiling softly. "Feenie."

"Rissy." He lifted a hand to caress her cheek, and she leaned into his gentle touch. He then leaned forward and pulled her closer to him. Finally, their lips touched in a soft kiss as the stars twinkled in the night sky, and the trees rustling in the wind. Separating, they laid down side-by-side. He wrapped an arm around her, while Iris placed a hand on his chest and nestled her head under his chin. They both stared up at the sky.

"I love you, Feenie."

"I love you too, Iris."

And the couple spent the rest of their date stargazing in each other's arms.

* * *

**Ick. I don't feel like this chapter was as well written as it could've been, but I don't want to obsess over it. Anyway, it's another semi-random (or completely random) chapter. I've been writing some really random stuff lately (and I've been writing break ups too. I was going to write the break up itself as a separate chapter, but I decided against this. Writing this was already hard enough. An actual break up would be near impossible for me). But on another note…**

***Squeal* I love writing my OTP! I love them so much! For those of you not fond of fluff, sorry (although in my defense, I could've made this chapter _much _more flufflier)! There shouldn't be much (if any) fluff in the next chapter. But I can't say the Feenris fluff will end with this chapter (I'll warn you, though!) **

*****Please make sure to leave a review or private message me! Also, p****lease read below for an _important_ author's note!*****

* * *

**_AN: I'_****_m going to be starting college again this week, and I haven't gotten as far with this story as I would've hoped. I had a lot planned for it, but I realize it's kind of a more slice-of-life story than one with a true plot to it. This isn't to say I'm abandoning it. Rather, I will be working to complete it as quickly as I can, especially because once my classes start, I won't have nearly enough time to devote to it. In other words, there are going to be time skips. _**

**_I feel awful doing this, because I was really looking forward to putting in some serious, serious effort into making this fanfic good. My studies do come first to me, though, so I know I won't be able to juggle classes and write good quality chapters at the beginning of the semester. Long story short, this is going to be shorter than some of the other fics I've written (and not as well-written, I will say right now). But…there's another good reason for that. I hope you do continue to read the rest of this story and see it through to the end. I was productive enough to have already written out some future chapters that I think you might like (at least, I enjoyed writing them). If you read up until this point, thank you so much for taking the time to do so! It means a lot to me, you have no idea. _**


	16. The Jealous Turnabout

**Here's another chapter! Not the very best, but I really wanted to post it here (especially before college starts again). I hope you like it! **

**__****_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!_**

**Chapter 14 – The Jealous Turnabout**

"Wow. The end of September was so busy for us, huh Trucy?"

"You're right, Athena. You, Polly and Daddy all had cases, Iris had her classes at the university, and _I_ had so much schoolwork and tests." Trucy sighed heavily. "I'm glad I was able to perform a few more shows at the Wonder Bar, though. Otherwise, I probably would've gone crazy with all of the work I had to do."

"Yeah, your magic shows definitely help with the stress and all." The two teenagers were at the Wright Anything Agency on the Saturday morning, as usual.

"With everything that's been going on, we kind of forgot about our missions!" Trucy reminded Athena. Everyone had been so busy that their matchmaking operations had been brought to a halt.

"Hey, you're right. I haven't been able to talk to Junie lately, and I don't run into Judge Courtney often. I just wish there was another way for us to get her and Mr. Edgeworth to interact more, or better yet, find out if she really would be the ideal kind of person for him to date."

"If only we could've talked to Kay more, although she does seem more invested in helping Prosecutor Gavin get with Ema."

"Hm…" Trucy tapped her chin thoughtfully, before snapping her fingers. "Zvarri!" I know what we can do! We can kill two birds with one stone!"

"Erm…" Athena put her hands on her hips, a confused frown on her face. "How exactly would we do that?"

"We're going to go pay a visit to our favorite gloomy detective!" Trucy grabbed Athena's hand and led her out the door.

"Whoa, whoa. How is visiting Ema going to help us with Mr. Edgeworth?" Athena questioned as she walked beside Trucy down the street.

"Well, I remember Daddy telling me about the case in which he and Mr. Edgeworth helped out Ema. Apparently, Ema knows Mr. Edgeworth since she was a kid, so I figure she might be a good source of information." Grinning, the magician added, "And this way, we'll be able to figure out how we might get her and Prosecutor Gavin together."

The attorney considered Trucy's idea. "I see what you mean. We'll go visit her under the guise that we're inquiring about Mr. Edgeworth's potential love life, but in actuality, we're also going to find out about her own! Sounds great to me!"

"I knew you'd think so. Now come on! Let's not waste any time."

"Good point, Trucy! Andale!"

* * *

At the precinct, Athena and Trucy located the office of Detective Skye. Knocking on the door, they heard someone call out from within. "It's open."

After a quick exchange of greetings and how are yous, Ema asked them what their purpose was for visiting her. She sat in her chair at her desk, while her two visitors sat in front of her desk.

"You know Mr. Edgeworth well, don't you Ema? What kind of girlfriend do you think he would want?" Athena knew the woman wouldn't appreciate having her time wasted, so she got straight to the point.

Ema cocked an eyebrow. "Girlfriend? For Mr. Edgeworth?"

Trucy nodded. "We're trying to f-" She stopped herself when Athena poked her, shaking her head. They didn't want the detective to know about their matchmaking efforts. "...Figure out what kind of a girlfriend he'd want. Just out of curiosity," she chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet, hands behind her back.

They watched as the detective pouted a little, her cheeks puffed as she looked to her right. "Hm…someone serious, dedicated to her job, decently good-looking, has good communication skills although they don't have to be great, should be a little witty and act somewhat refined. By that, I mean she shouldn't make a complete fool of herself, especially for no reason whatsoever. She can be shorter than him, say…five foot six…for example." She paused, pulling at a lock of her hair, before looking at them from the corner of her eye. "All of this scientifically-speaking, of course."

_That's…awfully specific. _Athena didn't ponder on it too much. "So…" The attorney drawled on. "You wouldn't have any objections to him being with someone like, say…Judge Courtney?"

"What?!" Ema sat up in her seat, slamming her hands on her desk. Athena and Trucy leaned back, caught off-guard by her sudden reaction. Even Ema came to realize her reaction was a bit dramatic. She removed her hands from the desk surface and folded her arms, trying to appear casual. "I mean…I guess she wouldn't be so bad for him. She is in the law profession too, being a judge."

Athena's eyes narrowed. _Hm…where's her 'scientifically speaking' bit? And I could've thought I heard deep reluctance in her voice, with a hint of…jealousy? Why would she be jealous? Unless…unless she…oh wait! _

Athena gasped. "Wait. Ema…do you…you don't…"

Ema frowned, her head turned slightly. "I don't…what?"

Trucy herself was unsure of the revelation that Athena came to; however, she quickly caught on And asked, "You don't like Mr. Edgeworth, do you Ema?"

Ema's eyes widened, and she coughed a little, covering her mouth and bowing her head. "N-no. Of course not. He's…a good friend, that's all. I don't…_like_ him."

_You're obviously lying. Your emotions sound a little jumbled, and your cheeks are a little red._

"It's okay! We're all friends here, right Trucy?" Trucy agreed, and Athena turned back to Ema, arms crossed and grinning widely. "Come on. Tell us all about your crush."

"Okay, okay. I did have a crush on him when I was younger, I'll…I'll admit that." Ema knew she was lying. She had been more like a stalker. "But trust me. I don't have a crush on him now."

_Liar. _

"Of course you don't, but it's okay if you do, you know. Everyone's entitled to crushing on people," Athena reassured her.

"Right. Anyway, as I said before, I _did_ like him, but now I simply…respect him. A lot." Just when Athena was going to press Ema for more details like the attorney she was, Ema grabbed her bag of snackoos off her desk to eat some. Chewing on the snack thoughtfully, she scrutinized them. "Why are you guys asking me all of this anyway? It isn't like Mr. Edgeworth is trying to find a girlfriend right now."

Athena and Trucy turned to each other, sharing the same worried glances. The detective was onto them!

"Well?" Ema sat there, waiting for their answer.

"You see…like Trucy said before, we were just curious, you know?" Athena said weakly, but Ema's expression remained the same, eyes narrowed and frowning. In other words, she wasn't convinced.

Before she could interrogate them further, her cellphone rang. "This is Detective Skye." Ema dropped her snackoo bag on the desk and stood up. Her mood had brightened up significantly. "Yes? Of course I can come over! Give me about…" She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ten minutes. I'll get there as fast as I can!"

Hanging up, Ema pulled her white lab coat on and grabbed her bag. "Sorry girls! I'd love to stay and chat more, but I've got a super-important meeting to go to!" She left her office in a rush, leaving the attorney and magician behind.

"She was in a real rush," Trucy mused.

"I wonder what's so important about this meeting of hers?"

* * *

_Why did Herr Ruffles summon me to his office? Ah well, there won't much suspense to it._ He knocked on the door of his superior's office, and when he heard someone answer from within, he turned the knob and entered.

"Herr Edgeworth," he greeted the man sitting behind the desk.

"Prosecutor Gavin. You're right on time." The Chief Prosecutor checked his watch. "Now it's just a matter of waiting for-"

"Mr. Edgeworth! I'm so sorry I'm late!"

Klavier turned around. _Well, well, well. If it isn't Fraulein Detective. _He shot her a charming smile. _She looks absolutely exhausted. She must've rushed to get here. I wonder if there's something wrong._

"Detective Skye, you aren't late. You made it on time."

Having caught her breath, Ema marched up to the desk, right past Klavier, completely ignoring him. "As soon as I got your call, I came here as fast as I could."

_Oh no. Something must be seriously wrong. _Clearing his throat, Klavier took a few steps so that he was standing next to her. "Herr Edgeworth. Is something the matter?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ema watching the Chief Prosecutor intently. _Hm…_

Edgeworth stood up and crossed his arms, a disapproving frown forming on his lips. "There is something the matter, yes, but it isn't a major issue."

_Then why did Fraulein Detective rush to get here?_

Not one to waste time, Edgeworth went straight to addressing the issue. "I've been informed that the two of you have been…ahem…not on the best terms with one another," he began, giving them both a stern look.

Klavier didn't respond. Ema, on the other hand, let out a nervous laugh. "Wh-what? Where did you hear that from?" She lifted her hand and slapped the back of Klavier's shoulder. "The two of us get along just fine, don't we Prosecutor Gavin?" She turned to him, hand still on his back, a too-sweet-to-be-true smile on her face.

The prosecutor resisted the urge to cry aloud when her hand hit him hard. _I suppose I should go along with this little act of hers. _ He forced a smile and looked at Edgeworth. "Fraulein Detective is right, Herr Edgeworth." Wanting to get revenge, he wrapped an arm around Ema's shoulders and pulled her in closer. "Of course we get along wonderfully."

Ema shoved him away from her and brushed herself off. The Chief Prosecutor remained unconvinced, brows furrowing and arms still crossed. "Yes, I see that," he replied dryly. "While I understand the two of you do have your differences with each other, you must remember that you're supposed to be working together to fight against crime and pursue the truth."

"You're absolutely right, Herr Edgeworth. Teamwork is essential, if we wish to stamp out crime," Klavier declared, not sure where this conversation was going.

"Right…what he said," Ema added, although she wasn't as enthusiastic.

"You didn't let me finish. The issue at hand is that I've received several complaints about the two of you acting less than civil with one another."

"Please elaborate, Herr Edgeworth."

"There have been reports of one of you throwing a certain snack item at the other seemingly with the intention of inflicting harm," he started, his eyes on Ema, who was staring at the ground, embarrassed. "Detective Skye."

_Heh. Someone needed to call her out on that. _

"And then there are reports of another someone incessantly picking on Miss Skye, provoking her to attack him."

…_Busted. _

"And just recently, during an investigation a couple of weeks back, one of the witnesses in the case mentioned how you were both arguing with one another to the point that handcuffs were taken out and an arrest was almost made."

Klavier remembered that all too well. He had been in an awful mood that day and was extremely impatient. Ema had been taking her sweet time conducting a scientific investigation, and after making a snappy comment about how she was wasting their time with science, the rock star prosecutor had incurred the detective's wrath. After many harsh words were exchanged, she had pulled out her handcuffs, ready to arrest him on the spot, although it was never made known for what crime that would be.

"Not to mention that little fiasco at Trucy's magic show last month, which I'm sure you remember quite well." They sure did, the evidence being their averted gazes and red cheeks.

_Ach! I was hoping no one would remember that!_

"I hope the two of you realize what kind of image this would portray for those people outside of our workplace. While I do believe that one shouldn't care much for what others think of them, I don't like the idea of the public viewing the relationship between the police and prosecutor's office as being one so strained and more importantly, unprofessional," he reprimanded them.

Ema took a step forward. "Mr. Edgeworth. On both our behalves, I am so, so sorry about the way we've been acting. You're absolutely right. We need to learn to be more professional with each other, especially when investigating at crime scenes. I hope you can forgive us." She had her head down dejectedly.

The Chief Prosecutor lifted his eyes from her figure to Klavier. "Herr Edgeworth. It's as Fraulein Detective says. I never intended for our working relationship to appear as being unprofessional. I merely tease her because I'd like to lighten up the mood. I, too, would like to apologize for the inconvenience this has caused." He bowed his head respectfully.

"Hm…I can see that you both do feel guilty. I'm not asking for you to become best friends. I only hope that both of you will from now on try to maintain civil relations with one another. I don't want to get more complaints about you. Understand?"

They both nodded before replying in unison, "Understood." They briefly glanced at each other.

"Very well. Thank you for coming here so promptly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my paperwork."

"Er…Mr. Edgeworth?"

The Chief Prosecutor had sat down behind his desk. Looking up, he nodded. "Yes?"

"You're…not too mad, are you?" Ema asked, sounding as upset as she looked. She had a deep frown on her face, her shoulders slouched, and her eyes were downcast.

_Why does Fräulein look so worried? _

"I'm not as mad as I am disappointed. I expected the two of you to behave more decently. However, I'll let it go this time with a warning. Just see to it that I don't have to speak to you again."

She instantly brightened up, back straightening up and a huge smile on her face knowing that he wasn't really mad. "Don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth! I'll make sure to be on my extra-best behavior from now on!" She readjusted her pink glasses up on her head, flashing a bigger grin.

He smirked, turning his head right slightly. "Of course. That's exactly what I'll be expecting to hear next time."

Klavier couldn't help but notice how nice Ema was being towards his boss. _Look at the admiration sparkling in her eyes. She seems to respect him immensely. _

He could feel something bubbling up in him…

Was he…jealous?! No. Guys were jealous of him, former rock star but forever good-looking prosecutor Klavier Gavin. Yet, here he was, feeling envious of the attention the detective was showering on his superior. _I have no reason to be jealous. She's probably just being friendly with him because he's Chief Prosecutor. _

"Come on, f-I mean, Prosecutor Gavin. Mr. Edgeworth is a very busy man, and we shouldn't disturb him." Tugging him by the sleeve, Ema headed towards the door. Before she opened it, she said over her shoulder, "Have a nice day, Mr. Edgeworth!"

She shut the door to the office, but continued to drag Klavier to the elevator. Once its doors shut, she turned and shot a fierce glare at him. She stood right in front of him, leaning forward in an intimidating manner as she pointed a finger right below his nose. "Listen here, fop. I don't like you, okay? And I _really_ don't like the idea of being…civil with you." She crossed her arms as she stepped away. "With that being said, you heard what Mr. Edgeworth told us. I'd appreciate it if you didn't pick on me as much as you do when we're out investigating."

"Well, I wouldn't pick on you if you weren't such an easy target, Fraulein Detective," he countered, flashing a grin at her As he leaned forward, hands on his hips.

"Ha! Me? An easy target? That's funny. I can't imagine how I could be such an easy target." She rolled her eyes.

_Okay, that wasn't the best way to put it. But you aren't able to see the way you scrunch your face when I tease you, so you wouldn't know how adorable you look when you do that. And by easy target, what I meant was that you get riled up too easily._

After a moment of silence, Klavier leaned against the wall of the elevator and thought aloud. "Herr Ruffles does seem to be a bit more short-tempered these days. Otherwise, he wouldn't have summoned us to his office like this."

"Who's Herr Ruffles? Wait. Is that your nickname for Mr. Edgeworth?!" Ema yelled at him, face turning red in obvious anger. "You can't call him Herr Ruffles! Have some respect! He is your boss! Besides, those aren't ruffles that he wears. It's called a cravat, not that I expect a fop like you to know something like that. Besides, Mr. Edgeworth is Chief Prosecutor. He's got a lot of responsibilities to handle, and he has to deal with an idiot like you. I don't blame him for being irritable."

"My, my. You're getting quite defensive of Herr R-Edgeworth, Fräulein Detective. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had a crush on him." He chuckled and shut his eyes, waiting for her rebuttal. Only it never came.

_Hm? Why isn't she screaming at me, or pelting me with snackoos? _He glanced at her from the side and noticed her head bowed down a little. What he found surprising was that her cheeks were pink.

He turned to face her. "Fräulein…you don't…you don't…_like_ Herr Edgeworth, do you?"

"Wh-what?! N-no. Of course not!"

"Then why are your cheeks turning as red as a tomato?"

"Ugh! How dare you compare my cheeks to a tomato, you carrot!"

Klavier was smiling up until that point. He had a delayed reaction to her comment. "…Carrot?"

"Yeah! Your skin is so orange, all you'd need to do is dye your hair green, and people would easily mistake you for a giant carrot with an out-of-this-world ego!"

_Ouch! Is my skin really _that _orange? I'll pretend for now that she didn't say that. She's try to get us off-topic._

"That wasn't the point, Fräulein Detective. You never answered my question."

He watched her as she rummaged through her bag. He then heard her muttering, "Darn. I left my snackoos at my office."

_Thank goodness! It's well past the time she would've thrown an entire bag's worth of snackoos at me. _"Well?"

Ema fidgeted with her bag, only to sigh. "Okay, so maybe I have a crush on him that's the size of an atom It's not like I want to be romantically involved with him. It's just…he's a cool guy." It was only after she confessed that she glared at Klavier. "But I never, _ever_ said that."

There was a ding, and the elevator doors opened to the first floor. Klavier watched as the detective exited the elevator and headed in the direction of the main entrance. He stood in his place as someone else entered the elevator.

_She…she has a crush? On Herr Ruffles?! What is it about him that she could find so attractive?! He's quite a grouch and isn't a rock star like myself. _He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, recalling the interaction between his boss and crush. She had been smiling a lot, at least, more than Klavier was accustomed to seeing, and she was actually being pleasant with him. When the Chief Prosecutor scolded her, she didn't bother to put up an argument; instead, she looked down in shame, and then apologized. Genuinely.

_Why haven't I seen it before? She likes him, although she claims she wouldn't like to be romantically involved with him. What is it about him that'd make her like him more than me?! _

"Excuse me?"

_Well…he is handsome, and serious. I guess he can be nice when he wants to also, even though it wouldn't kill him to smile even a little bit. He's intelligent, and at a very high position. He's refined and not as modern. *Sigh* What chance do I stand against him? Do I stands a chance at all, eve if he wasn't in the picture?_

"Excuse me?"

_Maybe I should try to be more like him…? But how? We're quite different from each other, and there is no way I'm going to make my hair look like a pair of bird wings. But I could find other ways to change myself…_

"Excuse me!"

Klavier shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down to see it was a fellow prosecutor who was clearly peeved at having to yell together his attention. "Oh…er…sorry about that! What floor are you going to?" Getting his answer, he pressed the button for the other person's floor and his own. As the elevator went up, he became engrossed in his thoughts once more.

_Oh Fraulein. Why can't you make this easier on me? _

**Again, poor Klavier. He seems to be losing hope. (And just a note, so there are no misunderstandings, I **_**don't**_** ship Ema with Edgeworth; however, I'd like to think that she still does have a mini-crush on him, even after seven years and respects him a lot). Please do review and/or PM me. Thanks!**


	17. Turnabout Guilty Love

**Wow! If any of you were waiting for this chapter, I'm sorry for the wait! I got caught up with college work and stuff. But here I am with an update!  
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**To theScizor: Thanks for the review! I know it is completely and totally random. I should change the name to the Random Turnabouts, honestly. As I've been writing it, I realized it's more of a slice-of-life fic than a real, flowing story. I'm glad you're enjoying it though. And yes! I would love for you to draw those scenes! That would be amazing! Thank you for offering! (And Apollo's reply was :( There's supposed to be a 'greater than sign' before the colon to represent angry eyebrows, but for some reason, the website erases that symbol.  
**

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**This chapter isn't my favorite. I wrote three-quarters of this about a month ago, and well, it's bad, but I kind of want to get on with the story and wrap it up pretty soon, so I decided to keep it as it is. If I went back to rework things, it'd take me forever. I personally like the last part much better. But here it is.  
**

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**__****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!**

**Chapter 15 - Turnabout Guilty Love**

"Helloooo, Mr. Edgeworth!" A cheerful voice greeted the Chief Prosecutor who was hunched at his desk. "Whatcha doing?"

Not bothering to look up, he addressed the visitor. "Kay. What is it?"

"Can't a girl just come in to see what her favorite Chief Prosecutor is doing?!" Kay frowned, arms crossed in disdain. "How rude, Mr. Edgeworth!"

_Favorite Chief Prosecutor? As far as I know, I'm the only Chief Prosecutor she's acquainted with. _"Hmph. Not knocking on someone's door before barging in is also rude, Kay."

"Oh come on, Mr. Edgeworth. If you aren't doing paperwork, then you're either meeting with someone or talking on the phone. I wouldn't be interrupting anything too important."

The prosecutor just let out a heavy, defeated sigh. _Arguing with her would just be a waste of my time. _He focused on his paperwork once more, but didn't fail to hear the chair scrape against the floor.

"When was the last time you went outside the office, Mr. Edgeworth?" Kay suddenly asked.

"Hm? Oh…I did have something to pick up from the main desk downstairs," he responded absently.

"Mr. Edgeworth!" She whined. "I meant when's the last time you went outside the Prosecutor's Office, not _your_ office! You haven't been cooped up in this building for the past five hours, have you?!"

"Kay. I can't afford to waste my time when there's so much work to do here."

"I understand. You're _obsessed_ with your work, but you know, you've got to take a break! Relax, chill!"

_I could explain to her that I'm not exactly one to chill, but I suppose I should see where she's planning to go with her persistent questioning. _"Is that so? Well then. How do you suggest I relax?"

"Finally!" Kay grinned at him. "You should go to this new bookstore that opened up a few blocks away!"

"A bookstore?" _That isn't exactly the kind of place that I'd think Kay would consider as being relaxing. If anything, she'd think it was boring. _

She nodded her head. "Yeah! It's this really cute place!"

_Hm…something tells me I won't like this bookstore…_

"They've got all kinds of books on every subject you could imagine! They've even got books and merchandise for the Jammin' Ninja…"

_Yes. Definitely not my cup of tea. _

Kay wiggled her eyebrows. "And a certain hero of Neo-Olde Tokyo."

…_She'd better not be lying about that…_ "Hmph. Is there a section for law books there?"

"Yeah, they do! It's _huge_! I couldn't believe it!" Kay's eyes widened.

_The only question left to ask her now is…_ "Kay. How exactly did you find out about this bookstore?"

"Hm? Oh, Serena brought me there with her. I asked her if she knew any cool places to go, and that was the one she suggested. I have to say though that her idea of cool isn't really that cool. I mean, she reads all of these medical books for fun. For _fun_! How does that even make sense?!"

_Not surprising that you wouldn't find a bookstore cool, Kay. _"Well, she is a doctor. It isn't all that surprising that a doctor would be interesting in reading texts like that."

"I know, but still! She's really nice, but she was right when she said she was kind of boring, no offense to her, though."

_She's going off on a tangent. I better get her refocused. _"Kay. You were telling me about this bookstore?"

"Hm? Oh, right! It wasn't too bad. It's a nice atmosphere there, and it even has this nice little café in it! When I stepped in there, the first person that came to mind was you!"

"Really?"

"Mmhm! Seems like just the place you might like, Mr. Edgeworth! I think you should go take a look," she suggested excitedly.

"Right, well, it does sound nice, I suppose." He bent down to read his paperwork.

"You _really_ should go there, Mr. Edgeworth!"

He glanced up at her, holding back an annoyed groan. _Knowing Kay, she won't let me work in peace until I go to this bookstore. _

"Alright, Kay. I'll make an attempt to visit this bookstore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I do have some important paperwork to complete." He motioned to the papers on his desk.

"Cool! I can't wait to ask you all about it! See ya!" Kay bounded out of his office, humming a happy tune.

_Wonderful. Now I really _will_ have to pay a visit this store._

* * *

_This would appear to be the place Kay told me about. _He looked up at the sign, which read "Books in a Nook." _An odd name, but at least it does suggest it has something to do with books. _He examined the window display, in which there was a shelf filled with newly released books. There were also a couple of movie posters on either side of the window. One poster in particular caught his attention. _Steel Samurai: The Movie, coming soon to theaters at the end of October…I see._

He approached the front door and pulled it open, hearing a bell dinging above him. His whole body was hit by a burst of chilly air. _Thank goodness it's air conditioned. I didn't realize how hot it was outside until now. _

Gentle music was playing from speakers on the ceiling, but other than that, it was relatively quiet, save for the sounds of other customers and visitors there.

_It doesn't appear to be too bad. _He heard someone clear their throat and he turned to see the cashier standing at the counter. "Hello there, sir. How are you today?" It was an elderly woman.

"Fine, thank you." He gave her a small nod.

"If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Of course." He turned back and went venture further into the store. As he was walking into an aisle, a figure walked into him.

"Oof! Watch where you're going, mister!" A gruff voice reprimanded him.

_Hmph. You were the one to walk right into me._

"John, are you alright?" A familiar voice called out. "Oh. Hello, Mr. Edgeworth." Soon, a woman with brownish-black hair and brown eyes came into view. Anyone would be able to identify her with her unique hairstyle where her right eye was covered by her long, straight-edged lock of hair.

"Judge Courtney." He nodded his head at her. His gaze fell on the young man who ran into him. He was wearing a red sweatshirt, jeans, and white cap on his head. He had black hair that was like a mix of Phoenix's spiky hair and Edgeworth's hairstyle. His eyes were narrowed a little, and there was neither a smile nor frown on his face. "John."

"John, you remember Mr. Edgeworth, don't you?" The Judge asked him, smiling politely.

John nodded. "Hey," was his relaxed greeting. His hands were in his pockets.

"I'm surprised to see you out in public, John. Given how famous you've become," Edgeworth mused.

John Marsh's acting career had skyrocketed since he starred in the movie, "The Might Moozilla vs. Gourdy," about eight years ago. Edgeworth had first met him back when he was shooting the movie. _I see he hasn't really changed much over these years, although he's finally gone through a growth spurt, it would seem. _The young adult was a few inches taller than the Judge.

"Hmph. It's no big deal. I try to keep a low-profile." He shrugged, his face displaying a look of boredom.

"He's starring in the new Steel Samurai movie," Justine announced proudly.

Edgeworth raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? That's quite impressive, John."

"Hmph. Yeah, whatever," he replied, ignoring the prosecutor's compliment.

_Eight years later, and still incorrigible, I see. _

"How is everything at the Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Edgeworth?"

He returned his attention to the Judge. "It's going smoothly. And what about the PIC?"

"We are handling things much better now." She now frowned, holding her arms in front of her chest. "Especially after that little incident a few months back."

Edgeworth nodded. _That was hardly a _little _incident. They allowed a woman from a criminal family to become a prosecutor at my office, only for her to abuse her power as a prosecutor to commit a crime, but that is in the past. _"Luckily, nothing too detrimental occurred with that mistake. And it is good to hear that the committee is doing better."

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your office?" John asked, not really sounding like he cared, although there was a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Yes, well, someone recommended that I come here and take a look around."

Justine nodded her head in agreement. She lowered her hands down to her sides and took a moment to look around before looking back at Edgeworth. "Ah yes. It is a nice store, and luckily, there aren't too many people here who would recognize John."

"Still. You're Chief Prosecutor. You can't be slacking off on the job," John pointed out.

_Ngh…As if I'd ever slack off on the job. _

"Now John. Mr. Edgeworth is just taking a break. Everyone needs to take a break, don't they, Mr. Edgeworth?" She smiled at him.

_I didn't come here to take a break. I would think she would know that I am not a person who likes to take a break. I came here out of obligation…more or less. _"I didn't come here for a break, actually, but yes, I suppose most people do need a break."

"What? Are you trying to say you're some superhuman who doesn't need a break?" John challenged him, although the challenge he presented in his words didn't translate into his tone of voice.

"Hardly. I personally just don't see the need to take a break. I like to be constantly working. Besides, I do go home at the end of the day. The time I spend there can be considered a break, can't it?"

"Well now, Mr. Edgeworth, that may be true, but it is good to take a genuine break from working every now and then," Justine answered. "John takes breaks when he's working, as do I."

"Do you, Judge Courtney? I was under the impression that you are constantly fulfilling your duty to the Goddess of the Law," Edgeworth countered, almost smirking.

"Hey! Don't smirk at my mom like that!"

_He really hasn't changed. Not only has he maintained that attitude of his, but he's still very protective of his mother. Not that that's a bad thing. _

Justine blushed a little. "Yes, I do realize I probably give off the air that I'm always working, but as much as I do love the work I do, I like to take some time away from it," she admitted.

Edgeworth could see she was feeling a little guilty about it. "No need to feel guilty, Judge Courtney. Some of us do enjoy taking breaks every now and then, while some of us like being at work most of the time."

"Hmph. 'Most of the time?' People would think you're married to your work," John commented dryly. "Anyway." He turned to Justine. "Mom. We've got to go. I've got rehearsal in half an hour, remember?"

"That's right. I nearly forgot." Justine turned to Edgeworth and bowed her head respectfully. "It was nice seeing you, Mr. Edgeworth."

"The same to you, Judge Courtney. John."

"Yeah. See ya" was what he got in return.

"Oh, I nearly forgot." Justine turned around. "The Steel Samurai movie's opening day ceremony is in a couple of weeks. If you'd like, we could get you tickets."

"Now why would I want tickets for that movie?"

"I was sure I heard Ms. Faraday mention something about how you liked the Steel Samurai TV show. Was she mistaken?"

Edgeworth was quick to reply. "Yes, she was…mistaken. I respect the show's high production values and supposedly riveting plot, but…that is all."

Justine was convinced. "I see. Alright then. Good day, Mr. Edgeworth."

_That was close. Kay…she needs to stop telling people about how I like the Steel Samurai. _Edgeworth watched as the two of them walked off. _I wonder what they were doing here in the first place._ He then considered what John had said._ Married to my work, hm? Is that how people really see me? I suppose it doesn't matter, although I'm not sure I really like the term 'married.' Devoted would be much more fitting._

Shaking his head as if to shake the thought out, he continued to make his way through the bookstore. Every once in a while he'd stop to take a look at the books on the shelves. He had made finally made his way through the new releases section, and he getting towards the middle of the store.

_Looks can be quite deceiving. This is a rather big store, even though it looks rather tiny from outside in the street. Maybe this will be a good distraction for me. _

He looked ahead of him into the next aisle and noticed a familiar mop of black hair. _That's Ms. Sterling. She must be here to buy some medical books. _His eyes went up to sign above the aisle she was in.

_R-romance? _They landed back on her. She was searching very intently, her fingers gently brushing against the spines of the books. _There's no way she would read a romance book…would she? _

He found himself walking towards her, inquisitiveness getting the better of him. Clearing his throat, he took a step back when she jumped up. "M-Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Ms. Sterling," he greeted her coolly.

"I…It's nice to…see you. Here. Um…uh…what are you doing? Here?" She had her back turned so as to try and cover the books she was looking at.

"Oh, just browsing. And yourself?" _It's interesting to see her get so flustered. Not a usual sight one gets to see. _

"Oh…just…looking around." She tilted her head to the right, a weak half-smile on her face.

"In the romance section? Surely, I would've thought you'd be in the medical section of the store."

"I…just happened to be in the area, and so…I figured I'd…take a look," she replied carefully. It wasn't really a lie; she just wasn't telling him everything.

"Hm…Your red face and somewhat choppy speech tells me there's something more to this than you're telling me."

"I…well…" Her gaze fell briefly to the ground before she looked back up at him. She crossed her arms defensively. "It's…none of your business what I'm doing here, is it?"

_That's…true._ "But you're acting awfully suspicious. Like you're hiding something." _She's a bit transparent. _

"I'm not hiding anything," she responded, pushing on her glasses as she unfolded her arms.

"Hmph. That just makes you sound even more suspicious."

She shot him a sideways glance, eyes narrowed. "Why do you care what I'm doing here? It's a free country, isn't it? I can look at whatever books I wish to without being interrogated."

_Why do I care? Wait, I don't, but since she's being so defensive, I have to find out what she's hiding. _

"My apologies, but it's in my nature to question things, and people."

"That's rather annoying, I have to say."

"Isn't it your job as a doctor to ask your patients questions about themselves, some of those questions being rather invasive?"

"That's true, but that's only because asking questions, especially invasive ones, is one of the ways I find out what's wrong with them, and I need to find out what's wrong if I want to treat them. Besides, I don't ask unnecessary questions."

"You're avoiding the matter at hand. Why don't you just say it and get it off your chest, hm?"

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"I suppose not. I also suppose that you like people to be suspicious of you too."

She leveled a glare at him. _Oh, not this again. I'll emerge the winner of the glaring contest this time around, I am sure of it. _He narrowed his eyes to glare right back at her.

They stood there, glaring at each other for a good minute. Finally, she turned her head to the side, shutting her eyes, and a large smirk appeared on his face. _At last! I won. She may have beaten me once, but not now! _

She heaved a sigh, knowing there was no way to avoid the situation. "Okay, I'll admit. I'm…a closet romantic. Almost as much as I love reading medical books, and I stress almost, I…I do love reading a good romance novel," she begrudgingly confessed.

_All of that resistance…because of that?! Although I must say…that isn't exactly something I would expect from her, I'll admit that. _"I personally don't see the appeal they have." He grimaced. _Not that I've ever read one. _

"Yeah. I…just…I don't know." He gave her an odd look. She was beginning to give him an explanation, but rather than doing so, she just brushed it off. "It's stupid. It's my guilty pleasure, really."

His eyebrow arched up. "Guilty pleasure?"

Her eyes shifted to the bookshelf beside her. "Yeah…I guess it's kind of like how it is with you and the Steel Samurai."

"E-excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that?" _First, Judge Courtney, and now her?! Has Kay told her about it too? How many people know?!_

The slight waver in his voice showed her the opportunity to gain the upper hand, and she used it. She smiled a little at him. "Mr. Edgeworth. I think you and I both know how painfully obvious it is that _you're_ a closet fan of the Steel Samurai."

"What makes you think that?"

"The figurine in your office, what Maya said that day at the agency, your feigning nonchalance about the subject…"

"Oh? I can easily explain the figurine. It was a gift from…an acquaintance." _An old, annoying, verbose acquaintance. _"And Maya…she has a tendency to say…unnecessary things. And feigning nonchalance, well…you have no evidence of that. Your argument has been rendered useless."

She shook her head, sighing. "Then why get so defensive about it? I would've expected you to stay calm and collected as you usually are and give a better explanation as to why you don't like it."

_Oh, she's going to try to back me into the corner? Hmph. So be it, then. _"Why did you get so defensive then?"

"I got defensive because you were so insistent on finding out."

"I was only insistent because you were acting suspicious."

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting someone I know to be here and watching me browse the romance section," she countered indignantly.

"Why I…! I was _not_ watching you! It just so happened that I spotted you and figured I should try to be social, something I'm apparently not that good at."

"That's good to know. But anyway, back to the Steel Samurai. You never did explain why you're so reluctant to admit you like it. Why do you hide it from everyone? It's not such a bad thing to like, you know."

_Why hasn't she dropped it?! _"Why did _you_ feel the need to hide your…preference for romance novels? You could've just come clean, as they say, and told me the truth of the matter instead of being so quick to dismiss it."

She faltered. That was a good question. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she tried to think of a decent reply. "Because it'd make me look…well, unsophisticated," she admitted. She knew many people considered her a studious woman, so for a person like her to like romance novels, she thought it'd make her look bad. People didn't really have the most positive opinions about romance novels, after all.

"Well then." He smirked, feeling rather victorious. "That just so happens to be the exact same reason I have."

She uncrossed her arms, grinning triumphantly. She pointed at finger at him. "So you do like the Steel Samurai!"

"I-I never said that." _Did I really just let that slip out?! That's uncharacteristic of me! _

"But according to what you just said, one can infer that you don't tell people you like it because you think it'll make you look unsophisticated. Meaning you do like it!"

He tried to think of something to say back to her. He crossed his arms. "…Whether I like the Steel Samurai or not is yours or anyone's business," he replied firmly.

She mimicked his pose. "And whether or not I like romance novels is no one's business either," she said.

He shut his eyes and nodded. "Exactly."

She shrugged. "Okay then. I think this conversation's over." She turned around, only to turn back. "Oh. This might save you some hassle. In aisle three, they have a whole bunch of Steel Samurai merchandise, in case you were interested. See you later!" With a wave, she walked farther back into the store.

The prosecutor stared at the shelf filled with romance novels. _Why…do I feel like I lost that battle?_ He looked around to see someone eyeing him oddly. _Why is that man…_ That's when Edgeworth became aware. _Oh dear…_ Hunching his shoulders and pushing his hands in his pockets, he exited the aisle and went to find the law books section.

He passed by aisle three, only to take a few steps back. _Aisle three, she said? Hm…_ His eyes searched around discreetly for any nosy bystanders. _I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a little look around. Maybe someone will think I got lost trying to find some books. Yes, that's a plausible idea. I haven't been here prior to today._

* * *

"Fraulein Thief was correct. This bookstore is a very cool place." Klavier was flipping through a manga when he noticed someone walking into the aisle. "Ack! Herr Edgeworth!" He quickly threw the manga back on the shelf.

"Prosecutor Gavin," Edgeworth replied with a nod. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yes, well, Fraulein Th-I mean Fraulein Faraday told me about this place, so I figured I would check it out." He ran a hand throw his hair, his eyes falling to a bundle in his superior's arm. "And you, Herr Edgeworth? Here to buy something?"

He noticed Edgeworth angle the books in such a way that their spines weren't visible. There were a few thick books, and a couple of skinnies ones hidden between the larger ones. _Hm…Herr Ruffles must've picked up some Steel Samurai books along with some law books, and he probably doesn't want me to see them. _

His eyes went back up to Edgeworth as he explained himself. "That wasn't my original intention for coming here. Kay suggested that I come here and take a look around. She informed me that it was a…cool place."

_Heh. He probably decided to visit after she mentioned that they have Steel Samurai merchandise here. _

The Chief Prosecutor glanced at products in the aisle they were in. A small frown settled on his face. "Ah, the Jammin' Ninja. Are you a fan?"

Klavier smiled nervously and let out an even more nervous laugh, not bothering to hide it. "Heh, heh, heh. Guilty as charged." He then chuckled at his own joke, only to notice that Edgeworth was just staring at him, eyes slightly narrowed. "Get it, Herr Edgeworth? Guilty as charged?" There was no sign on Edgeworth's face that he 'got it.' "The name for the Gavinners' tour was 'Guilty as charged?'"

"…Oh."

_Herr Ruffles…you need to keep up with the entertainment world. It doesn't just consist of the Steel Samurai, you know. _

His ego bruised, Klavier sighed. "I see you've gathered some books, Herr Edgeworth? Anything you'd recommend I check out myself?" Klavier suppressed a smirk as the Chief Prosecutor shifted a little.

"Ahem. I did find a few law books and such."

"Anything else?" Klavier quirked an eyebrow.

Edgeworth adjusted his glasses with his free hand. "Not particularly. Nothing that would catch your interest, I'm sure."

"I see. So did you come here to look at the Jammin' Ninja items?" He asked curiously. _Maybe he's a fan of the Jammin' Ninja as well? I would hope he has that much good taste._

Edgeworth frowned. "No. I just happened to walk into the aisle by accident. I'm not exactly a fan of the Jammin' Ninja."

_He doesn't have good taste at all. _"Oh? Why might that be?"

"I just didn't find it appealing is all, but I suppose I can see why you would like it so much, being a musician and all."

"Yes, I must say the music in it is remarkable. I would even go as far as to say that it is at the same level as the Gavinners' music."

"…Of course."

_Oh Herr Ruffles. You're hardly containing your enthusiasm, are you? _

"Well, I best be off now. I need to return to the office."

"Yes. I must make a stop at the precinct before I go back to the office. Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Edgeworth."

He waited until the Chief Prosecutor left, and then he went back to browsing the Jammin' Ninja items. _Hm…I could place this poster right next to my Gavinners' poster…Yes. It would be perfect there. _He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Hm? What's this?...Mein gott! I'm going to be late for my meeting with Fraulein Detective!" He was about to bolt out of the aisle when he stopped himself. He stared at the poster longingly. _…I really want to buy that poster..._

He jogged out of the store and into his car, turning it on and driving off instantly. _Fraulein Detective is much more important than a poster. I can't afford to have her mad at me. I can always get the poster later._

* * *

_That stupid fop! Here I am, sitting in my office, waiting for _him_, of all people, and he's late! He must've forgotten we were supposed to meet. Not that I'm surprised at all. _Ema sighed heavily, only to stare sadly at an empty plastic bag. _I don't even have anymore snackoos to eat. _

She glared up at the clock before groaning, leaning back in her chair. She let out a loud yawn. "…I'll wait ten more minutes, and when he doesn't show up, I'll leave and make sure to tell Mr. Edgeworth about his subordinate's skipping out on his duties. Heh. I'd love to be there when Mr. Edgeworth lectures him." She chuckled, her eyes feeling droopy.

"Mm…maybe I'll just…put my head down, pop my earphones in, and relax for a few minutes." The detective turned on her iPod and shuffled through her playlist, finding the song she was looking for. She pressed the repeat button, a faint smile on her face.

* * *

_I am so late! I can see snackoos in my very near future._ Klavier rushed into the precinct and past a whole bunch of offices, stopping in front of the office of one Ema Skye. He was huffing and puffing, since he rushed to get there.

_I better fix my appearance. Can't afford to look disheveled in front of Fraulein… _As his hands reached down to fix his coat, his eyes landed on the glass in front of him, in which he could see his reflection. His clothes were a little wrinkled, and his hair was a little messy too, although it still maintained its pointed-shape. _…On second thought, this windswept look does me look pretty dashing. Perhaps Fraulein will think the same? _

Grinning at his reflection, he reached the doorknob and turned it. "Hello-"

There was Ema, with arms folded on the desk. They pillowed her head. She was facedown, but Klavier knew it was her. Her chocolate brown hair flowed over her white lab coat, and her pink glasses were still on her head.

He took a few steps forward, becoming a little concerned. _Is she alright? _He could see her back rise and fall, so she was breathing. He smiled. _Poor Fraulein. She must've worked hard today. _His smile faded, and a frown was in its place. _And I made her wait here for me. How awful of me! _

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and paper. He jotted a quick note for her, apologizing for being late and saying he'd come back first thing in the morning. He approached the desk and reached down to place the note on the desk. Pausing for a moment, he carefully lifted a couple of her fingers that were peaking from underneath her arm and placed the note under them.

He was about to leave when he stopped in his tracks. He was dead silent, making sure that his breathing wasn't even very loud.

_That…that music…_ He turned to face Ema and took a few steps closer. Leaning down so that his at the same level she was, he tilted his head, trying to hear the song that was playing through her earphones.

_I knew it! That's Guilty Love! _He smirked. _Fraulein Detective likes Guilty Love, hm? _He turned his head so he was facing her, or rather, the left side of her head. _That's quite the pleasant surprise. _He stared at her affectionately. _I wonder what her face looks like when she's asleep like this…_

As he imagined this image…

* * *

Ema had shifted in her seat, turning her head to the left. Her eyes opened into narrow slits. _Whoa…it's a cute guy! This has to be a dream. Cute guys would never visit me. _

"Hi," she said tiredly, a goofy smile on her face.

"Hello there, sleepyhead."

Ema found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes. "You have nice eyes," she murmured.

"Danke, Fraulein Detective."

_A cute guy who speaks German?! Whoa. I really hit the jackpot…wait. Wait, wait, wait. _Her eyes opened wider, and her vision became sharper. "YOU!" She abruptly stood up, backing away from her desk and more importantly, him. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"I-"

"No! Don't answer that question! Why are you so late?!"

"I-"

"Who gave you the right to come into my office while I'm sleeping?!"

"Fraulein Detective! Calm down!" Klavier held up his hands, shaking his head. "Allow me to explain!"

Ema was breathing heavily, and she could feel the heat on her cheeks. _Just how long has this fop been in here?! _She crossed her arms, readying herself to hear the lame excuse he was going to give her.

"I was at the bookstore-"

"_You_ were at a _bookstore_? Ha! As if I believe that!"

"It's true though! I went there after Fraulein Thief recommended it to me."

"Fraulein…Thief?...Oh, you mean Kay."

"Right, her. So I went there and looked for some books-"

"What kind of books?" _Books about how to be a glimmerous fop and the like, I bet._

"Er…law books and…others."

Her eyebrows went up as she shook her head a little. "Others? You're going to need to be more specific if you want me to buy this lame story."

"It's not a story! And I was looking at…well…Jammin' Ninja merchandise," he admitted, turning a little red in the face.

"Jammin' Ninja?...Oh, that's that other TV show that tries to be better than the Steel Samurai but totally fails. Heh. I'm not surprised _you're_ a fan of that," she remarked, smirking.

"You…like the Steel Samurai, Fraulein Detective?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I like it." _Actually, I'm a huge fan, but I would rather consume atroquinine than tell you of all people that. _"Much better than the Jammin' Ninja, that's for sure."

"Oh come now, Fraulein Detective. You should give the show a chance."

"Yeah, when I become a forensic scientist." _So in other words, never. _

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'd make a great forensic scientist." He winked at her.

_I wish I had my snackoos._ She rolled her eyes, ignoring the compliment."You never finished your story."

He didn't even bother to correct her about the story bit. "I was about to get something when I ran into Herr Edgeworth."

"You…you did?" She eyed him skeptically. "So if I was to call up Mr. Edgeworth right now, he'd confirm that?"

"Yes, he would."

_He does look pretty confident…so I guess he is telling the truth. _"What happened with Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I got to talking to him, and that's why I was so late. I'm sorry."

_He does look sorry. I shouldn't forgive, but…since he was with Mr. Edgeworth, I guess I…could excuse him. And I don't want to upset Mr. Edgeworth. _"Whatever, fop. You just make sure this doesn't happen again. I have better things to do with my life than wait for you."

"Of course you do." She turned her head to the right, still frowning. "Like listening to _Guilty Love_, ja?"

She whipped her head back to stare at him, eyes wide with shock. "What did you just say?!" _I heard him wrong. I definitely heard him wrong. _

"You hear me correctly. You were listening to _Guilty Love_."

_Oh, I really wish I had my snackoos so that I could wipe that smirk off his face! _"Oh yeah? Says who?"

She watched him grab her iPod off the desk and wave it in the air. "Says your iPod's recently played list."

"Get your hands off my iPod!" She ran over to him and reached for it, but he extended his arm, so that it was out of her reach. She hopped up a couple of times, desperately trying to get back the device.

"Just admit that you like the song, Fraulein Detective. It will make both of our lives easier."

She growled in anger. _As if I'm going to admit that. _

She saw him tapping the screen. A satisfied grin appeared on his face. "What's this? _Guilty Love _is the most played track on this iPod."

"Well…that's not my iPod."

"Fraulein Detective, I am not a fool." He flipped the device so that the back was showing. "Only you would have an iPod case with a mini periodic table on it, and a lock screen that's an image of an atom. Besides, the lock screen says that this is _Ema's_ iPod. What more evidence do I need to present, hm?"

_Darn it! He's got me there! Gr…he's got that annoying grin on his face. _She looked up at her iPod, which was being held in the air. She then stared down at the floor. Suddenly, she grinned. "Autsch!" Klavier let the iPod fall out of his grasp as he reached down to grab his right foot, hopping on his left one.

"Got it!" Ema caught the music device and quickly stuffed it in her bag. _I knew wearing heels would come in helpful one day! _She wore a smug grin on her face as she watched Klavier continue to hop on one foot, cradling the other in his hands.

"Serves you right for coming into my office late _while_ I was sleeping, no less, and _then_ confronting me about my musical tastes!"

"I don't think this was necessary, Fraulein Detective," Klavier forced his reply, the pain obvious in his voice.

"Just like it wasn't necessary for you to ask me about what I listen to."

Klavier leaned against the wall, slowly lowering his throbbing foot. He stared down at it momentarily, then lifted his gaze to Ema, his smile returning. "You don't need to be so hostile about it. It's not a bad thing for you to say you like the song."

_Boy, he's got nerve! _She glared at him, while he continued smiling at her. _If I don't just admit it now, he'll probably go around telling everyone I like the song. Then everyone will think I like the band too, and that'd be even worse! I don't want anyone to ever know I actually like the Gavinners' music! _

She uncrossed her arms and went to her desk, rearranging a few things on it. "So maybe I do like the song, okay?"

"I think like is an understatement, don't you?"

_Self-control, Ema. If you injure him anymore, Mr. Edgeworth will be disappointed. _"Just because I _like_ the song doesn't mean I like you, fop! Anyway, it's too late to talk now. I have to go home. You already wasted enough of my time. I'll expect to see you here bright and early at eight tomorrow."

With that statement, Ema flew right past him and out the door.

* * *

Klavier smirked, shaking his head. "Ah, Fraulein. I don't think you'll truly understand how attractive you are when you're so aggressive." He pushed himself off the wall, wobbling a little as his foot was still hurting. "I better make sure to lock her office for her."

He turned the lock from inside the office and exited it, shutting the door behind him. He turned the knob to test if it was locked, and it was. He walked out of the precinct and towards his car, throwing his keys into the air a few times. He couldn't stop grinning. _So not only does she like Guilty Love, but she also thinks I have nice eyes. That's a step in the right direction, for sure. _When he finally reached his car, he threw his keys high up into the air. He swiped his hand in front of them, and in its grasp were the keys.

_Hopefully soon, she'll come to like more than just my eyes and music, but who I am. But until then, I'm happy with what I've got for now. _

* * *

**If someone can give me or point me out to solid evidence that Ema is **_**not**_** a fan of Guilty Love or the Gavinners' music, then I invite you to do so. **

**Yeah, like I said, I personally like the end of this chapter (but as a whole, not my favorite chapter). The next chapter should be much better than this one, I'm sure. It's already half-written, but I can't tell you when I'll have it posted. It was hard enough for me to get this one up. Please feel free to leave a review or private message me. Thanks! **


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